Just an Ordinary Boy
by rosewarren
Summary: Rose and the new Doctor tackle life in their new universe. Aliens, Torchwood, adventure and romance.
1. Prologue

"Just a boy,

Just an ordinary boy.

But he was looking to the sky."

-'_Ordinary Day' _ by Vanessa Carlton

**Prologue**

He's 900 years old, more or less. Or he's only a few days old. Take your pick.

A lot has happened in those 900 plus years. Looking at his reflection in the mirror, he doesn't see the brown hair and brown eyes or the shirt Rose made him wear this morning.

He sees men, young and old, dark and fair. Straight hair and curly hair. He sees a blue box that once contained everything that ever mattered to him. That once was the only thing in the universe that belonged to him.

There are others, there, too, in that mirror. His family. His children, turned to dust so long ago. His companions on travels through time and space. Some left to return to ordinary human lives. Some died. He sees friends who betrayed and were betrayed.

Rose had asked him, once, why he never mentioned anyone from before. The pain they bring is too much to deal with, most of the time. Better to pretend that everyone is safe and happy. Better to block out the guilt.

He is understanding how strange and wonderful and terrible it is to be human. He has this time left to him, and it might end tomorrow.

He can accept that. He has Rose, and that makes everything else bearable.

He prays it will always be so.


	2. Chapter 1

After dinner Pete takes the Doctor into his office for a lengthy discussion about his new identity, aliens, Torchwood, and goodness knows what else.

"How is it going? With himself?" Jackie asks her daughter. They're still at the dinner table, watching Tony eat a small dish of ice cream.

Rose looks down into her water glass. "It's...okay. Still a bit weird."

"He's all right with being here?"

"I don't think he wants to live with you and Dad forever."

"No, sweetheart! Honestly. Is he all right with bein' half human? That's what it is, right?"

"Yeah. Half human. He may have mentioned it a few times."

"I'm seeing the human half more than that fancy Time Lord half, certainly," Jackie says. "Is he okay with being in this world, I meant?"

"He's not thrilled with it. But he'll get used to it. Same as me."

"Rose -"

"It's okay, Mum. I'm finished with trying to get across to reach a man who didn't try to reach me. This is where I'm meant to be."

Jackie Tyler never backs down from anything, but this time she's not brave enough to continue the line of conversation. She watched her daughter get over the Doctor and survive once - she does not want it to happen again. Which considering the Doctor is here in this very house, does seem unlikely to happen at all. Unless it happens anyway. One of those paradox things he and Rose tended to go on about. Jackie dismisses it out of mind, as she dismissed many such things the Doctor had tried to explain to her in the past.

"So if he's not going to live with us - and that's NOT an invitation, mind - what are his plans, then?"

"Oh, Mum. He's only just gotten here."

"You've room in your flat," Jackie says casually.

"Yeah." Rose sighs.

"Do you love him?"

"Mum!"

"Well?"

"You know I do."

"Well, then. Put him in your guest room tonight and worry about the rest tomorrow."

* * *

Rose volunteers to give Tony a bath. Jackie and Pete are going to a business dinner and Jackie needs to get ready. A Vitex dinner, not Torchwood. Vitex made Pete's fortune and allowed him to head up Torchwood after the Cybermen invasion. His VP ran things day to day but Pete remained at the head of the company. Having regained his company from Cybus Industries once that venture was destroyed, he was not eager to let it go again.

Tony is asleep in bed and Jackie is dressed and at the door before Pete and the Doctor emerge from the office. Pete looks a bit frazzled and annoyed. Rose wants to tell him to get used to it if he plans to be around the Doctor for any amount of time. The Doctor himself appears just as cheery as ever.

"I don't think Tony'll wake up at all," Jackie says as Pete helps her with her coat.

"I've got the monitor here," Rose says. "I'll hear if he does."

"All right. We won't be too late."

"Go and have fun. We're staying here tonight, anyway."

"I thought - oh, goodnight, love."

"Bye, Mum. Dad." Rose gives them both a quick kiss and pushes them through the door before Jackie can go on about the guest room in her flat.

"'Night, Rose." Pete kisses her back, looks over her head. "Doctor."

"Pete."

Jackie waves, and they're gone.

Rose shuts and locks the door and turns to him.

"Well," she says.

"Well," he echoes.

The two of them alone in a great big house. The possibilities are staggering.

"Come on," Rose says. "I'll show you how to wash all those new clothes."

He looks unenthused at this prospect.

"It's all about survival," Rose tells him. "Come on."

* * *

"This is a washing machine," she explains. "Put in your clothes by color. Darks with darks, lights with lights. Whites by themselves. Add soap. Turn on the water. Shut the lid."

"Easy peasy," he assures her. Instead of watching what she is doing, he's peering at the back of the washer where the hoses connect to the wall. Rose suspects he's only heard half of what she's said.

"Yeah." She's not convinced, even if he's grinning most convincingly at her. To keep from snogging him there and then, she says, "You watch this round."

-o0o-

He doesn't do a bad job of it. "Not exactly rocket science, is it?" he says critically. "Typical - great fuss over nothing."

Rose hums in agreement and decides to wait until he washes something red with his whites before making a sarcastic comment back.

* * *

The laundry room is next to the kitchen, and he heads over for a snack, leaving her talking to air as she explains how the dryer works.

"I'm starving! Ooh, d'you know what would be great? Popcorn! Do they have popcorn here? Tell me they have popcorn here. Remember that planet that served those giant popcorn balls at breakfast?"

Rose laughs. "I remember." She finds a package of microwave popcorn and shows him how to operate the microwave.

"You do this. I'm going to change my clothes." They're still wet from Tony's bath. Her baby brother is a champion splasher. She leaves him reading the package directions as though they contain information vital to mankind's existence. Maybe they do - she hasn't had much occasion to read the packages too closely herself. Watching him read, she has a fleeting moment of regret that he no longer has his glasses.

Rose changes into sweatpants and a long-sleeved t-shirt. When she comes back to the kitchen she finds it smoking and smelling of burned paper. She is perhaps not as surprised by this as some would think.

The Doctor is coughing and removing a blackened bag of popcorn from the microwave. It singes his fingers and he drops it onto the counter, sticking his fingers into his mouth.

"Doctor?"

He glances at her as he shuts the microwave door. "I may have cooked it a bit too long, in the interest of experimentation."

"Honestly." Rose gets a new bag of popcorn and pushes him away from the microwave. "What's to experiment? The corn gets hot and it pops. Poof - popcorn."

In two minutes she has a new bag of popped popcorn and dumps it into a bowl. "See? This is how it's done. Grab some drinks," she says, and heads to the living room.

He follows with two cans of Coke. That much is the same in this world, although he notices that the famous Coke can is now an odd rectangular tube. There are bottles of Vitex in the refrigerator as well, but he decides to leave that drink for another day.

Rose is sitting on the couch, flipping madly through tv channels with the remote. The only light, other than the television, comes from a lamp in the corner. He sits next to her and hands her an open tube of Coke.

"Thanks." She offers him some popcorn. Instead of a handful, he takes the entire bowl.

"Aha," Rose says in satisfaction.

"Evening news? Really, Rose, if this is how we're to spend the evening - "

"Shh!"

They watch as the newscaster reports the news, Rose listening closely and the Doctor rolling his eyes at what passes for human news and eating great handfuls of popcorn as he does so.

"Right." Rose changes the channel at the first commercial break. "Things have slowed down, then. If there'd been any alien problems, they would've come up in the first segment," she explains.

"What - is it just on the news like it's...news?"

"We've been through that a lot, more than on...on our Earth. A well-informed public is a safe public. So says Dad."

The Doctor was tossing popcorn into his mouth. Now he turns to look at her closely. "You're okay? With Pete being your dad?"

She nods slowly. "It was strange, at first, you know? Like he was happy to have Mum but he was just putting up with me. I mean, the first time we met I told him he was my dead dad on this other world and we had aliens turning people into robots and his wife died and you and I took off in a spaceship. And then the second time...well, I cried for a long time." She rubs her eyes. "It would have been easier if I'd never met my real dad. He's not my dad, is he? 'Cause my dad wasn't rich and successful. But it was easy to love him. And I think he loves me."

"Oh, he does. He was very clear about that during our after-dinner conversation. Rose, your real dad wasn't rich or successful, but he was brave. He loved you and Jackie, and he did what he knew was right. He saved the world from the Reapers. He was a very good man. This Pete's not so different."

"Yeah, he saves the world from aliens, too." She giggles. "How many girls can say that about their dads?"

"And now you have a brother!"

"He's a sweetie, isn't he? Mum and Pete were so happy. A second chance."

He's about to respond when the doorbell rings.

"I'll get it," Rose says, setting aside her drink. There is no reason to think anything will happen, and Rose can certainly take care of herself. He follows her anyway, because it is dark outside and they're not expecting anyone.

Rose checks a small security camera hidden in a wall panel. "Oh!" She hastily unlocks the door and flings it open, almost hitting the Doctor in the face. Standing on the front steps is Jake Simmonds.

"Jake!" Rose lets him in and hugs him tightly.

"Are you all right?" Jake asks her. "Pete said you came back! We didn't think to see you again! And the Doctor came with you." Jake holds out his hand. "Good to see you again."

"And you, Jake. Really." The Doctor shakes his hand warmly. "How've you been?"

"Can't complain. So you're...him?" Jake asks cautiously.

"Same me. Only I'm part human now. So...not quite me. One less heart. And a few odd little mannerisms, maybe. And possibly a fondness for little stuffed animals, which is new and alarming."

Jake and Rose listen to this little speech without comment and then turn to one another.

"Are you coming back, then?" Jake asks.

"Yeah. We'll be there tomorrow morning. How is everyone?"

"Good. Been a bit weird since you left. They'll be glad to see you again."

"Do you want to come in?" Rose asks.

"No, I'll be going. I just wanted to see you for myself." Jake hesitates. "Pete said that Mickey didn't come back with you."

Rose swallows. "No. He decided to stay." She doesn't think she'll ever get over the knowledge that she pushed her oldest friend away to the farthest reaches of space - again. It was not her fault, or his, that she met the Doctor, but it was her fault that she kept pushing him away once she came to this world. Mickey was a fine man, but no one could compete with the Doctor, not in her eyes.

Jake nods. "He told me so. Left me the key to his flat." He takes a deep breath. "I'll just call you, then, when I go over? If there's anything you want..."

Rose shakes her head. "No, there's nothing I want. Keep anything you want, Jake. Get rid of the rest."

"Yeah, that's what Mickey said you'd say. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye, Jake."

Rose locks the door again and stands, staring at the wood for a moment.

"Did you know Mickey was planning to go?"

"He never said. I wouldn't have thought it, but since his gran died he'd been at loose ends. He would have liked to go back to how things were between us, but I couldn't. Maybe he'll find something for himself back home."

"There's someone for everyone," he says lightly, putting his hand on her waist and steering her back to the living room.

"Do you think so?"

"That's what I was told once, and I suppose it's true after all." He smiles at her. "Though I may have had my doubts at the time."

Rose stops before they reach the couch. His hand is still on her waist and she takes it so he can't sit down without her.

"What?"

"What were you and Dad talking about?"

"Ohhhh, you know. Usual stuff. The state of the world, current stock prices at Vitex, Torchwood and aliens. Nothing extraordinary."

"Huh." Her disbelieving smile tells him she clearly does not believe him.

"Really," he insists.

"Yeah."

A long pause. "He wants me to go work for him," he admits finally, scratching his head with his free hand.

"What, at Vitex?"

"Funny. At Torchwood, with you lot. You and Jake and whatever mad scientist created that dimension cannon you were using."

"She won't appreciate being called mad," Rose comments. "So?"

"So what?"

"So what did you say?"

"Well, I said 'yes', didn't I? Not like I've got any other plans for the next sixty years."

"Hope you were more gracious than that to Dad," Rose comments dryly.

"I was my usual gracious self," the Doctor assures her.

"Goodness! And he still wants you?"

The Doctor takes advantage of their locked hands and draws her in closely. "Oh, he wants me, all right. All this valuable alien knowledge? How could he not?"

Rose has to tilt her head back to meet his eyes. Before she can speak, he continues. "And he created a new identity for me. Amazing how many forms you humans have to fill out just to prove you exist. Prove your birth, prove your death, prove everything in between or you're not really here."

"Oh, there's more to it than that," she protests.

"Not all would say so." He grins at her. "So as of tomorrow, I will have a new name."

"And what might that name be?"

"I don't tell my name to just any girl who asks."

"Am I just any girl?"

"No. No, you are certainly not."

"Well, then?"

He leans in close to her, his mouth brushing hers. "You can call me John Smith."

"Must I?" she whispers.

"No, of course not. But that's me."

"Lovely," she murmurs. "Come here." She wraps her arms around him and kisses him for all she is worth. He responds back in kind, and it is an absolutely lovely moment until Pete says, "Trust me on this."

Startled, Rose breaks away and turns around, looking for Pete. They finally realize it's just a Vitex commercial on the television, and they start to laugh like utter lunatics.

"Whoops," Rose says breathlessly as a cry comes from the baby monitor on the table. "I better go check on him."

Before she goes the Doctor grabs her in for another kiss, pulling her up against him.

"Oh," she murmurs. "I'll be right back."

"Mmm hmm," he murmurs, and continues to kiss her.

Rose steps away only because she's afraid Tony will start to cry and get out of bed.

"Be right back."

He manages one more kiss before Rose finally escapes with a soft laugh.

Tony is asleep and obviously dreaming. A sleeping child is a happy child, in Rose's opinion, and she slowly shuts his door and heads back to the Doctor.

He's walking back into the living room at the same time, holding a new bag of popcorn. Rose is impressed that there is no smoke hovering around him. He holds it up in triumph.

"See? No problem." The Doctor picks up their popcorn bowl and dumps the new bag into it.

They both drop back onto the couch, scattering popcorn all over the floor. He sits in a corner of the couch and she sits right up next to him, the same way she has sat with him a hundred times or more in the past. His arm goes up along the back of the couch behind her shoulders, and she snuggles into his chest as they share the popcorn.

"So what's good?"

Rose is already flipping through the channels again. "Ooh, fancy a bit of science fiction?"

"What - that?" The movie on screen is a bizarre mix of fifties-style horror and terrifyingly realistic aliens.

"This looks good."

"Rose, this is utter rubbish."

"I know. Be quiet."

The scenery is appalling and the dialogue terrible, but they're soon drawn into the plot of alien invaders from Mars coming to Earth to launch an attack on Venus.

Sometime later Rose reaches for her drink. The Doctor hands it to her wordlessly. She drinks and puts it back in his hand and he replaces it on the table, all without looking away from the screen.

There is an unspeakable comfort to sitting there with him, and it's such a strange and familiar feeling that Rose closes her eyes for a moment. It's him, she reassures herself. It really is. As if to confirm this, his arm moves to her shoulders to hug her to him for a moment. She looks up at him and he turns to look at her at the same time. They share a smile and Rose shifts on the couch, tucking her legs up and moving closer to him.

Their fingers brush as they finish the popcorn, and he is soon sharing her drink. He certainly did not expect to enjoy the movie, but it's so nice to just sit and not think of anything that he does despite the awful acting. Without really thinking about it, his hand moves to her hair and plays with the long strands. Rose closes her eyes and makes a small sound of happiness.

"I have missed you." he whispers. "So much."

* * *

When Jackie and Pete come home, sometime after the final evening news, they follow the sound of the television to the living room. Rose and the Doctor are asleep on the couch. He is leaning against the cushions. She is lying on the couch, her head on his thigh. Rose is holding his hand against her chest.

Pete turns the television off. "Leave them," he whispers.

Jackie stands in the doorway for a moment, watching a scene she has witnessed before. A different house, a different Doctor, a different Rose, but here it all is, again. Pete puts his arm around her shoulders.

"You coming?"

"Yeah." Jackie can't help but look back at them as she turns off the lamp. Her Rose and the Doctor. Where once she hated the idea of the two of them together, she is now unaccountably, unreasonably happy. On her way out of the room she touches his hair lightly.

"Welcome back," she whispers, and she is not saying it only to him.


	3. Chapter 2

He awakens abruptly, coming to in a dark room. Looking around, he has a brief moment of panic before he realizes where he is. On the floor. Next to...a couch. Memory comes back to him, and he slowly sits up. Somehow he slid from the couch to the floor while he was asleep.

That he slept at all is amazing to him. This body really is human. The thought of sleeping one-third of his life away depresses him, but he can no more change that than he can grow a second heart.

There is some light coming in from the hallway, and he gets up off the floor and onto his knees. Peering at the couch, he can make out Rose, lying on her side and still sleeping.

Rose. He smiles, a stupid, silly smile that he can't hold back. She's here. With him. Remembering the way they kissed, he smiles even more.

The clock on the television tells him it's half past one. He can't remember falling asleep or turning off the TV, but apparently they did so. He is torn between waking Rose and leaving her where she is for the rest of the night. As he is arguing with himself about this, Rose wakes up as she rolls onto her back and almost slides off the couch.

"Oh!" she says in surprise.

Luckily he is still kneeling beside her. "You okay?"

She sits up and rubs her eyes. He sees her blink in confusion. "Doctor?"

"Yes?"

"Did we, did we fall asleep?"

"Must have done. Here we are."

"Ugh. Awful. What time is it? No, don't tell me." She stands up and yawns. "I'm going to bed."

He rises off the floor. "Okay." He's rather surprised to realize that he still feels a bit sleepy himself.

"Come on." Rose leads the way upstairs, yawning the whole time. "Mum and Dad must be home," she murmurs.

"How can you tell?"

"The baby monitor's gone." That's good enough for Rose. She's not going to her parents' room at this hour to make sure they're back.

She stops at her bedroom door and turns to look up at him. "Goodnight, then." She reaches up to kiss his cheek and smiles sleepily at him.

He kisses her back. "Goodnight."

She goes into her room and closes the door.

He heads to the room Jackie gave him, farther down the hall. Feeling awake, he brushes his teeth and then goes to the window. Just like the night before, he shoves the curtain aside and looks out at the sky. It doesn't hurt so much tonight. Maybe by the time his life is over, the pain will have stopped. He lets the curtain drop and lies down on the bed. He doesn't think he can sleep again, but he does.

* * *

Rose is awake and alert that morning. She is up early and dressed before any noises come from the Doctor's room. Not that she's been listening at his door or anything. She's just excited to be going back to work.

No. That is a lie, and Rose has never lied to herself. She is excited because the Doctor is coming to Torchwood with her. He has a new name and a legal identity (possibly obtained illegally, but so was hers, so what's the point in worrying about that?) and has agreed to work for Pete.

Unable to help herself, she finally knocks on his door. There is no answer so she opens it. He is not asleep in bed. Nor is he in the shower or getting dressed. The clothes they washed last night are all in the same place.

Rose looks around and frowns.

* * *

"Here we are, then," Jackie is saying. "Just put this cape around you."

Having slept for an awfully long time the night before, the Doctor was up early. He'd headed to the kitchen in the hopes of having something to eat. Mrs. Colton seemed to like him, and he certainly wasn't averse to allowing her to cook him breakfast.

Instead, he found Jackie at the table in her dressing gown, drinking a cup of tea and reading the paper.

"There you are!" she'd exclaimed. "Lovely. Here, have a seat."

Before he knew what was happening, she'd sat him down, flung a black nylon cape over him, and told him he was getting a haircut.

"It's so long on top, you could use a trim. You want to look smart your first day of work, don't you?"

"No, no I do not. I absolutely do not." He tries to stand but Jackie is too quick for him.

"Stay put. I haven't cut hair since we came here, but I trim Tony's now and then." Jackie is unpacking a large plastic box filled with ominous-looking instruments.

"Jackie, really, I do not need a haircut."

"Here we go. Let me just wet it down."

He is still protesting as she begins, and it's probably just a coincidence that she hits him full in the face with the spray bottle of water she is using to wet his hair.

By the time he recovers she's combing his hair and wielding a pair of scissors, and he resigns himself to his fate. It would take a braver man than he to oppose Jackie Tyler when she's holding scissors in her hand.

Rose comes into the kitchen as Jackie is combing and cutting.

"Mum, have you - what are you doing?" Rose's voice goes up in surprise.

"Just giving the Doctor a quick haircut, sweetheart. It was much too long on top, don't you think?"

"Maybe." Rose sits down at the table and watches.

"I am here strictly against my will," the Doctor informs her. "She made me sit down and then she sprayed me! With water."

"Don't cut it too short, Mum," is all Rose says.

When Jackie is done she removes the cape and combs his hair. "There we are," she says in satisfaction. "Gorgeous."

He winces. "Jackie, please. It's first thing in the morning."

"Why aren't you dressed?" Rose demands. "We're going in to work today."

"And I can barely contain my excitement about that," he assures her. "I came down for something to eat and your mother hijacked me."

"Mrs. Colton will be here any minute," Jackie says, "and she'll be cooking breakfast. Go up and get ready for work."

He looks longingly at the cup of tea in her hand, but Rose has stood up and is clearly waiting for him.

"I'll just shower then," he says, and heads back upstairs.

As he dries his hair he has to admit it's easier to handle, but he would never admit that to Jackie. Digging through the clothes that he and Rose - well, just Rose - washed the night before, he has put on dark trousers and a t-shirt when there is a knock at the door.

It's Rose. "Hello," she says with a smile.

"Hello." He smiles back at her and steps aside to let her in.

"Your hair looks nice," she says. "Guess Mum hasn't lost her touch."

"That was the first and last time she ever touches me."

"Don't be silly."

"I am in no way being silly. I am deadly serious."

She rolls her eyes instead of responding to that. "Your clothes will wrinkle if you leave them all over the place like that."

"Yeah. I'll have to put them away." He does not sound very convincing. The TARDIS always did that for him in the past. He only needed to think about an item of clothing to have it appear, clean and pressed, in his wardrobe.

The TARDIS is still doing that, though, for him, in some other universe. The same TARDIS in the same universe, with that different him. At times like this the simple fact of his existence is enough to make him stop and try to catch his breath. He was one man, in one place, and then he was two, and now he is himself, cut adrift from everything he ever knew.

"Doctor?" Rose asks cautiously. He is staring fixedly at nothing at all, a look of pain on his face.

Her voice snaps him back to the present, and he manages a smile. "Yes. Clothing. I should get right on that."

"Only if you plan to stay here for long," she rushes to say.

"What do you mean?" he asks. "I thought we agreed that I'm here for the next few decades." Another item to cause him pain - death. Honestly, being human is just rubbish, sheer rubbish.

"I meant here at this house," Rose says patiently.

He blinks. "Do they want me to leave? I mean, I just got here, but if they want me gone I can -"

"Of course not! Don't be stupid. I just meant...I thought...I have my flat," Rose says in a rush. "And I usually stay there. There's room for you, if you want."

The words of an old conversation seem to drift in the air between them. She stares steadily at him, refusing to look away. He is not exactly the same man he was back on that space base below the black hole, but he is close enough to it to make her hold her breath.

He smiles. "Doors and a carpet?"

"Well, you've seen it. If you want."

He nods quickly. "Yeah. Yeah, that'd be okay."

Well, it's an improvement over the last time they had a similar conversation. Rose wishes she knew what she was doing, that this feeling of walking on not-quite solid ground would go away. The swings between awkwardness and friendship and kissing are sudden and unpredictable and a bit frightening.

Just as she's thinking this, and trying not to think of that other man who was the one she had that old conversation with, this man before her steps in close to her.

"It's still me," he says quietly.

"I know," she says honestly but perhaps a bit too quickly.

"Do you? Sometimes it seems you do, and sometimes I don't think so."

"I do," she says, and she does. She does.

This time he is the one refusing to look away, and then he sighs and puts his arms around her. She hugs him back, tightly.

Always before, the Doctor would depart in the aftermath of whatever disaster or rescue operation had occurred. That was his way, to leave while he could before things got sticky. From Platform One to leaving Captain Jack Harkness behind on the Game Station, all the way to blowing up the Krillitanes, he did what he had to do and left before the clean up started.

Isn't it what that other him did at Bay Wolf Bay, just two days ago? Dumped Rose and him out of the TARDIS and into a life neither one wanted, and swanned off without even a decent goodbye.

There is nowhere for him to go here. If there is an aftermath, he will be stuck with it. That other him took off and left him to it. Pompous Time Lord.

"You know," he says into Rose's hair, "I really hope I can manage this whole human business."

"You have me. I will be your human guide."

"Will you?" He is absurdly, unaccountably pleased. It means she will stay with him.

"Of course. We're in this together, yeah?"

"Yeah." He grins at her, that brilliant smile she loved so much, and she is lost. She is here, with this man, and she will make the most of it.

"You hungry?"

He pretends to think it over. "I could eat."


	4. Chapter 3

The housekeeper has breakfast ready as the Doctor and Rose head downstairs. This morning they're eating in the dining room. Jackie is still in her dressing gown. Pete is wearing a suit and tie and scanning the morning paper as he drinks coffee.

"Good morning," Rose says.

"Morning, Pete," the Doctor offers as he sits down.

Pete squints at him. "Did you get a haircut?"

The Doctor is saved from answering by the housekeeper. "Good morning, Mr. John! Pancakes?"

"Oooh, yes, thanks." He looks up at her as she pours him some

coffee. "You can just call me Doctor." John Smith works very well for humans who feel a need to give everyone a name, but it's not a name he plans to make a habit.

"Of course," she says. "I ironed you a shirt," she continues. "Miss Rose left all your dress shirts in the laundry room."

"Well, thank you, Mrs. Colton." He throws a smug look at Rose. She rolls her eyes. He probably doesn't even realize he owns any dress shirts. Across the table, Jackie's rolling her eyes as well. Mother and daughter catch each other doing so, and try not to laugh.

"Of course, Mr. John. More coffee, Mr. Tyler?"

"Torchwood's rather informal," Pete says to the Doctor. "Not a good idea to wear a decent suit when you're chasing down invading aliens."

"It's his first day," Rose says, because Mrs. Colton's ironed a shirt and she doesn't want to hurt her feelings by leaving it behind. "He's got stuff for everyday."

She herself is wearing jeans and a red shirt. Her denim jacket is hanging over the back of her chair. As formal as she gets for work.

The Doctor is eating his pancakes, hasn't heard a word they've said, and wouldn't care about his clothing options if he did.

* * *

Pete takes off after breakfast. Rose and the Doctor follow a bit more slowly. She drives them in her car.

"How long have you been driving?" he asks curiously. She never drove before.

"Couple of years now. Someone needs to drive when we're in the field, and I didn't want to ever be stuck with a car I couldn't drive."

"You sure this is a good idea?" he asks, looking out the window.

"Me driving? I haven't killed anyone yet."

"Me working at Torchwood."

"It's not the same as Canary Wharf. It's not."

"How did there come to be a Torchwood here, anyway? I was never here to insult Queen Victoria, was I?"

"Queen Victoria was attacked by a werewolf at the Torchwood Estate in Scotland," Rose says. "Sir Robert and Lady Isobel were there. Sir Doctor and Dame Rose were not."

"And yet here we are. I don't know, Rose. My memories of Torchwood are not...I don't know that I can work for them."

"It's different. We're needed to protect the Earth. Everything I've seen is nothing compared to you. You could make such a difference." Rose is staring straight ahead as she drives, hands held tightly on the steering wheel. "Do you think it was easy for me? Walking into a building that looked just like the Torchwood at home? Waiting for Daleks and Cybermen to come down the hall -" She stops talking and presses her lips together. "I got over it," she says finally.

He looks over at her. "We'll be together, right? That's something."

She manages a smile. "You and me. Same old team."

* * *

Rose shows her ID badge to the guard at the entrance. Normally she waves it quickly and goes right in.

"And your guest, Miss Tyler?"

Rose blinks. "Excuse me?"

"Is your guest in the visitor's log? Does he have a guest pass?"

Rose is speechless. A guest pass? Did she not just save this world and all other worlds in existence from destruction? Before she can tell the guard that she does NOT need to have a guest pass for her guest, said guest sticks out his hand.

"Doctor John Smith, how do you do? Sure I'm on the log, they're expecting me upstairs. Come along, Miss Tyler." He takes Rose's arm and heads off down the hallway.

He stops at the bank of elevators. "Where to?"

"Don't you know?" she asks in amusement.

"You're Torchwood. I thought you'd know all my secrets by now." He quirks an eyebrow at her.

"You're Torchwood," she counters. "Better hide all your secrets before we do find them out. Come on. Dad will want to see you in his office this morning, and I'm sure there's a pile of paperwork waiting to make you official here."

"Lovely." He's spent his life running from paperwork and institutions like this, and now he will be working for one. Working for Torchwood. He is a human with one heart and he's thinking of working for Torchwood. The universe has a sick sense of humor sometimes, he thinks to himself. This universe, anyway.

"It's not so bad here. Come on, I'll show you my office." She smiles at him and takes his hand.

Pete Tyler, head of Torchwood, has an office near the top of the building with a fabulous view of London. Rose has a place in the basement. She leads him down a flight of stairs by the elevators and opens a door into a dark hallway.

"You're joking. Rose, no one could possibly work down here. It's damp and squalid."

Rose opens a door off the hallway. "Here we are," she says.

The office is a large room. Although it's in the basement, there are several windows along the back wall. The view is of an alley. A dark-haired woman sits at a desk in a far corner, chewing gum and typing at a computer. Across the room two men are manipulating a piece of metal equipment, causing sparks to fly.

"You'll set off the sprinklers again, you idiots," the woman snaps. She looks up and sees Rose and shrieks. The men whirl around, pointing guns that they've grabbed seemingly out of the air. The Doctor stiffens and grabs Rose to pull her behind him.

"Rose! It's Rose!" She runs to them and hugs Rose tightly. "You did it! You saved the world!"

The men put their guns away, looking slightly disappointed.

Rose can't help but laugh. "I did. I saved the world." The men have come over and are hugging her in turn as well.

Rose looks to the Doctor when she is released. "This is Riley," she says, gesturing to the woman.

"Riley Shane," she says, shaking his hand cheerfully.

"Ian McMasters," says the dark-haired man. He's wearing a grey t-shirt that's seen better days and ripped jeans.

"Simon Lazlow." This one is blond and wears a blue button-down shirt with a ripped front pocket. His trousers are black and currently covered with a grey film.

"Hello." The Doctor shakes their hands as well.

"This is the Doctor," Rose says proudly.

"Bloody hell," Ian says. "Your Doctor?"

"We thought you were a myth." Simon looks him over and shakes his hand again, more enthusiastically this time. "Someone Rose made up."

"Someone Rose made up and talked about all the time," Ian adds.

"Someone Rose made up, talked about all the time, and was desperate to get back to," Riley finishes.

"Oi!" Rose says indignantly. It's one thing to have missed the Doctor, quite another for these people to point it out to him on their first meeting, thank you very much. A girl's got to have some pride.

"Rose said you were brilliant, that you were the one person who could help us," Riley says. "You saved the universe!"

"He saved all of the universes," Rose says, putting her arm through his. "And there were a lot of them."

"Well, I had some help," the Doctor admits.

Rose's smile flickers for a moment. "Yes, you did." Pushing the image of a man in a brown suit and a woman with ginger hair out of her mind, she gestures to the trio before them. "Riley, Ian and Simon are my field team. We work together."

"Do you always pull guns out when you're working?" the Doctor asks mildly. He's against weapons at the best of times, but having them pointed at him does not put him in the best of moods.

"We've had a rough few days," Ian says challengingly. "Watching stars disappear from the sky makes us jumpy."

"They're back where they belong," the Doctor says evenly. "So there's no need to do that again. I happen to dislike having guns aimed at me."

"That's my fault," Riley says hastily, "for screaming like that when I saw Rose. We were just out in Essex," she continues. "We found traces of a homing beacon under some rocks."

"It was at the bottom of a quarry," Simon says in annoyance.

The Doctor nods. The grey film on Simon's rousers is rock dust, then. How exciting. Rocks.

Then, "Why was there a homing beacon at the bottom of a quarry under a pile of rocks?" he asks.

"How should we know?" Simon replies. "We just located it and brought it in."

"May I?" The Doctor moves to the corner and peers at the contraption. He reaches into his shirt pocket but finds nothing there. Momentarily confused, he continues on without his glasses, frowning at the metal box.

"Small," he says to himself. "Circuitry looks pretty basic." He tilts the beacon onto its side. Tiny markings run along the edges.

"This isn't a homing beacon," he tells the men standing next to him. "It's an older-model toaster from the Berrenian moon."

"What?" Ian says blankly.

"A...toaster?" Riley says in confusion. "It can't be, it set off our monitors and everything."

The Doctor touches a small switch hidden in a side panel. Two slots open up, the perfect size for bread slices.

"It uses a radio frequency to toast the bread," he explains. "It must have triggered your tracking system."

"A toaster."

He smiles at Rose. "Yep. Or it was, before it broke. No wonder it was at the bottom of a quarry."

"Well, who does it belong to? Maybe they're still on the planet." Riley takes out a pen and prepares to write down some facts.

"Could be anyone. Could have been here for years or dropped off last night. The Berrenians sell this thing all over the galaxies." The Doctor stops and thinks a moment. "They did in our universe, at any rate. Possibly it's the same here. I had one myself, for a while. Before it short-circuited and caught fire. The Berrenians aren't know for the high quality of their products." He shrugs and moves away, toaster forgotten.

Ian and Simon stare down at the toaster. They have just spent six hours tracing, uncovering, and investigating this thing.

"Anyone hungry?" Riley asks cheerfully. "I could do with some tea and toast, couldn't you boys?"

"The Doctor's going to be working here with us," Rose says, changing the subject quickly. "I'm just going to give him the tour. Be back in a bit."

"Homing beacons. Honestly," he says when they're back in the hallway.

"You're acting like it's a huge disappointment not to have Slitheen breaking down the door."

He smiles at her in apology. "Just a bit weird, having to work at a job again. Been quite some time since I had to answer to anyone."

"You're here to help us. You won't be answering to anyone."

"I'd better not. Your team seems nice."

"I trained Riley myself. Simon and Ian were here first - they worked with Jake and Mickey. Then Jake and Mickey partnered up sometimes, and the four of us worked together a lot." Rose enters the elevator and looks down at the floor. "When I left I wasn't planning on coming back. I figured I'd either be killed or traveling in the TARDIS again."

He grabs hold of her arms and forces her to look at him.

"So did I, Rose. So what the hell do we do now?"

She almost laughs at the panic in his voice. "We go on, day after day."

He hugs her tightly. "I don't know that I can do that."

She tilts her heads up to look at him. "I don't know, either," she says quietly. "But we'll try, yeah?"

He breaks away as the elevator doors open and people enter. "Yeah, we'll try."

* * *

Pete is waiting for them in his office. He hands the Doctor an official Torchwood security badge. His picture is on it. The Doctor looks at it closely. He's wearing the same blue shirt in the photo that he has on right now. He glances around the room, wondering how many cameras are installed in the building.

Pete grins like he knows what the Doctor is thinking. "The building has a few cameras around. It's a quiet day," Pete continues. "We're still monitoring to make sure there's no fallout from what happened."

"Is there any?" Rose asks.

"Not so far. Did you see anyone coming in?"

"We went by my office," Rose says. "They've tracked down an alien toaster."

"Terrific." Pete shakes his head. "There's quite a few people coming up this morning to speak with you."

Rose takes a breath to speak and stops at the look on her father's face. This is why he'd encouraged her to stay home after they'd returned from Norway. He didn't want her to go through a debriefing.

"It's all right," she says. "I'll be fine."

"They don't know about the Doctor," Pete goes on to say. He glances at the Doctor, almost in apology. "Thought it'd be best to deal with one issue at a time."

"They going to lock me up and study me?" the Doctor asks.

"Don't be ridiculous. Let's get Rose through this and then we can finish processing you in."

"That sounds like locking my up and studying me."

"Don't tempt me."

"Let me just show the Doctor around a bit more," Rose says. "I'll be back."

* * *

"Dad didn't say everything," Rose says. "Lots of officials and military types are waiting to hear my story. They were having meetings here like crazy, back when we thought the world was ending."

"Should I stay with you?" he asks. The elevator arrives and he guides her into it.

"No. I can deal with them myself. I'm sure there'll be another alien invasion soon, and then you can come in and save the day."

"Is that what you call it?"

"Of course. What would you?"

He doesn't answer, only stares fixedly at the elevator wall.

It's as the Doctor is watching all the training and weaponry in the research lab Rose brings him to that he has an unsettling realization. He has no defenses. He's human. Holding his own against aliens - or anybody - on his own does not sound very practical. He will not carry a gun no matter what the Torchwood policy on that is.

Does that sound like someone born in battle and in blood? He did what he had to in the Dalek Crucible, no more than what anyone else would have done. That other him would never see it that way, but he always saw things as a moral argument. Never going for a win when he could wallow in guilt and remorse.

The Doctor pushes his thoughts away from that other man. He is gone for good.

He looks at Rose only to see her watching him a bit impatiently. Apparently he hasn't been paying close attention to what she's been saying. What HAS she been saying?

"This is getting to be a habit," Rose lightly.

"Rose," he says after another moment's thought, "where is the development lab?"


	5. Chapter 4

Rose doesn't see the Doctor for quite a while after that. She goes in for what Pete calls a debriefing, and various government officials give her their thanks for saving the world. Rose repeats her story of Daleks and Davros, and Davros' plan to destroy absolutely everything in existence. She explains how he was stopped, and how all the worlds were saved and back to normal.

Her information is made classified, she is sworn to secrecy, and everybody leaves, understanding perhaps just a portion of what she has just explained.

"Half of them believed me and half think I'm crazy," she says to Pete when they're alone in the meeting room.

He smiles and puts his arm around her shoulders. "Not everyone believes what's right in front of them, Rose. Call it a lack of imagination."

"I wonder what they'd make of the Doctor."

Pete is about to respond when there's a knock on the door to the meeting room. A heavyset man in a dark suit, sunglasses and earpiece comes in, sweeping the room with a gun. Pete and Rose both jump in alarm.

"Clear," the man says, and he is clearly a bodyguard, because Harriet Jones, President of Great Britain, walks in, followed by another bodyguard.

She's there to thank Rose in person, and it's hard for Rose to smile and shake her hand, knowing that her own Harriet died to save them, back in the other world, her other, real world. She wants to warn Harriet, but there's nothing to warn her about. The darkness has come and gone, and if Harriet, at some time in the future, makes a choice about something, makes a hard decision regarding the Earth's safety, the Doctor will not be there to engineer her downfall.

This Harriet Jones is gracious and polite, but with a steel backbone. Rose feels a stab of sorrow that this woman exists here but not at home. There are so many things she wants to say, and the woman standing before her would understand none of them. Not the word Slitheen, or Sycorax, or blood control.

It's moments like this that remind Rose of how hard it is to simply exist in a world that is so like home and so much unlike it that she sometimes gets a headache, just keeping things straight. People and places and historical events, all just different enough to make her look foolish or ignorant at times.

Rose says nothing of the Slitheen or Sycorax or blood control. She does not ask to see Harriet's ID. She does not mention the Doctor. She simply shakes Harriet's hand and accepts her thanks.

Wherever Davros is now, she hopes he suffers.

* * *

The development lab the Doctor is looking for is one of several at Torchwood. It's a rather small room, full of boxes piled high with various metals and materials. Equipment is scattered around on several tables. The only person inside is a young woman wearing headphones at her computer.

The Doctor knocks on the door. "Hello."

She looks up and removes her headphones. "Can I help you?"

He gives her his most cheerful grin. "I'm the Doctor. Mind if I take a look around?"

* * *

It's almost lunchtime when the Doctor bumps into Jake as he walks down a corridor. He is a bit lost and has just decided to go back to Rose's basement office.

"Hello, Doctor. Welcome to Torchwood."

"Hello again, Jake. How are you?"

"Good, now that there's no threat of being destroyed. Come to the cafeteria with me," Jake says. "There are a lot of people here who want to meet you."

"There's a cafeteria here?"

"Everyone eats," Jake says briefly. "Even Torchwood."

The cafeteria reminds the Doctor, oddly enough, of the school where Rose worked as a dinner lady while they were tracking down the Krillitanes. Much better food, nicer atmosphere, grown ups who aren't bat-creatures in disguise, but it has the same trays, the same line forming at one end.

"Stay away from the beef stew," Jake advises in a low voice. "It's toxic."

The Doctor prudently goes with a pasta salad. The dressing doesn't look like anything he's ever seen before. When he shows it to Jake, Jake shrugs. "It's the most common dressing here."

Ah. Another parallel universe kind of thing. The Doctor has traveled all of time and space. He has eaten Jackie Tyler's cooking. He can try new things. He suddenly recalls something as they head to the register.

"I haven't got any money." He feels foolish even saying it, but Jake doesn't even blink.

"Charge it. We all do. If you die in the field before the end of each month you don't have to pay up."

Jake leads them to a table at the edge of the cafeteria. He watches the Doctor take a sip of his drink.

"Is this meant to be root beer?" the Doctor asks. "It's neither beer, nor rooty. Don't tell me it's Vitex."

"So you're here for good, then, you said." Jake ignores the question of whether the drink is root beer or not.

The Doctor nods slowly. "I am."

"Mickey was happy here, at least while his gran was alive. Rose couldn't wait to be gone."

"That must have been hard on Mickey."

"He tried. Apparently you're a tough act to follow." Jake raises a skeptical eyebrow. "He tried to hang in there, but Rose never looked at him except as a brother once she was here. We were glad to have her at Torchwood, because of what she'd done with you. All she ever wanted was to get back to you."

The Doctor wants to ask more, but they're joined by Torchwood personnel who have heard that Rose Tyler's Doctor is there. They were all aware of the coming darkness,and all wish to hear details of what happened.

"Rose really found you?"

"We thought she'd be vaporized for sure."

"Any Cybermen over in your world?"

"What planet you from, then, if you're really an alien?"

Jake glares enough that his coworkers finally leave them alone. He finishes his burger and the Doctor quickly shovels in his pasta. The dressing is not half bad.

"Let's go before they start in again," Jake says. "Unless you want to sign some autographs?"

"That was totally unnecessary," the Doctor says in annoyance as they leave the cafeteria. "I'm not some exotic pet on display."

"Rose had a lot of faith in you," Jake says simply. "You're the reason we got as far as we did. And you helped us with the Cybermen."

The Doctor is momentarily diverted from his train of thought. "Cybermen. The Preachers. Jake - Mrs. Moore. Did you ever find her family?" he asks urgently.

"The Price family. Yeah, I found them." Jake exhales deeply. "Her husband survived the Cybermen invasion that first time, when you and Rose were first here. He never even knew that Mrs. Moore - Mrs. Price - was involved with the Preachers. Her son joined Torchwood." He stops, and the Doctor starts to smile, starts to ask if he can meet this son.

"He died after the Cybermen escaped the factories. Right before we followed them across to your world."

"No."

"It was a good death. He was glad to be working with us. He was brave, just like his mother."

Well. The universe's cruel jokes continue to come. The Doctor puts it aside for now, focuses on his main concern.

"Jake, what exactly did Rose do? To return to our original universe? It should be impossible to travel between parallel worlds."

"You've done it yourself, and you say it's impossible?" Jake shakes his head, amused.

"It is impossible," the Doctor says stubbornly. "The first time was an accident. It should never have happened."

"Come on. I'll show you."

Jake takes him to the research lab on the top floor of the building. It is large and gleaming white and silver. Across the hallway is another large room, with computers and monitors are set up all around. People are sitting at several monitors, talking into headsets and typing at keyboards.

"Control is over here." Jake gestures to the room with the people and monitors. "They track us when we're in the field, help trace signals, monitor us through our headsets. They're the ones who helped Rose jump across worlds when she was looking for you."

"How was she jumping across?"

"This way." Jake enters the research lab, the Doctor following behind and trying to see everything at once. "This is Margaret Adams," Jake says, walking him over to an older woman in a white lab coat. "The scientist who developed the dimension cannon and the jumpers."

"Rose could have been killed," are the Doctor's first words to her. "That was incredibly dangerous and foolish."

"It was a risk she was determined to take. I believe finding you was a priority." Margaret Adams arches an eyebrow, taking him in. "And here you are." Her expression suggests that maybe Rose shouldn't have looked so hard for him.

"What technology were you using? Humans don't have the knowledge for anything like that."

"We scavenge alien technology and use it for ourselves," she says, and for a moment it's Yvonne Hartman's voice the Doctor is hearing, and he has to shake his head quickly.

"It's incredibly dangerous. And it rips holes in the fabric of space. If you continue it could rip everything apart."

"The dimension cannon no longer works," Margaret Adams says stiffly. "The dimension jumpers are no longer needed, as you have stated. But we will continue to develop new technology to protect ourselves."

"You don't know what you're dealing with."

"We do. Better than you. You've just gotten here - we've been here for years, side by side with Cybermen and other creatures. Who knows better than Torchwood what we're dealing with?"

There is no witty comeback to that, and the Doctor heads to the door without a response, Jake following.

"Blimey, you put her in her place, didn't you?" Jake rolls his eyes.

"What?"

Jake smirks. "She's a tough one, Margaret. We all stay away and let her play with her toys until we need something."

"Charming woman, yes."

Jake consults his watch. ""What have they got scheduled for you this afternoon, Doctor?"

The Doctor stops walking and turns to look at him. "Do me a favor, Jake?"

* * *

Rose leaves when Harriet Jones requests a private meeting with Pete. She needs to play to catch up on some work in her office. She'd left her things behind, not planning to return, and now needs to restore her files and passwords, now that she'll be staying here in this world after all. The thought still stings, but not nearly as much as before.

Several hours later, she's still there in her office. She is alone, and has just realized that she has no way of reaching the Doctor. He carries no cell phone or Torchwood-issued headset. Really, he could be anywhere. Which is a worrying thought, if you know the Doctor at all.

Just as she's wondering if he might have left on his own, he comes through the doorway.

"There you are!" he exclaims. "I was looking for you."

"Me too. Where've you been?"

"Oh, here and there," he says evasively. "Did my payroll paperwork. So I can get paid. And you?"

"Oh, nothing too special. Caught up with some friends here, met the President. You know."

"Yeah?" He looks delighted. "Who's President these days?"

She smiles. "Harriet Jones."

"Is she? Still?"

"She is, yeah."

He nods. "Parallel world, parallel Harriet. Our Harriet was a hero at the end," he says abruptly.

"Yeah, she was."

"I may have underestimated her," he admits now, scratching his head.

"No. You each did as you thought best, you just didn't agree with each other."

He looks at her. "Do you think so, Rose? Really?" He doesn't tell her what he's thinking - that sometimes he wonders if Harry Saxon would have come to power no matter what, or if the Doctor paved the way for him by causing Harriet's slow downfall. That year of the Master's reign is over now, and never was, but it lives in him still, to tear at him when he least expects it.

"Yes, Doctor, I do." Rose looks at him steadily. She has seen a lot of possible outcomes, in all those worlds, and understands better than he realizes, about possible outcomes and choices made.

He remembers this, and wonders, suddenly, if she would know the name if he spoke it out loud. To say the Master's name and see if she nods her head in recognition.

He jerks his head quickly instead, leaving the Master dead in his grave. "You ready to go? It seems to be leaving time."

"I am, yeah. Thought we'd go to my parents' house and pick up our stuff."

"All right."

"Unless you want to leave your things there."

He boosts himself up onto a desk and regards her seriously. "Why would I want to do that?"

"Oh, I don't know. In case you didn't want to stay at my flat." She walks over to him and he reaches for her. She moves out of his way but he makes another grab and pulls her to him. She stands between his knees in front of the desk.

"I can think of no reason on earth why I would prefer to stay at Jackie's instead of with you," he informs her. "Ever."

"Well, then. Good." Rose leans into him without really thinking about it. He slides off the desk to stand in front of her, and then his arms are around her and he's kissing her.

"I don't want to pressure you," she manages to gasp.

"No pressure," he assures her, kissing her again. "None at all."

* * *

"I just need to drop something off upstairs," Rose says, reaching for a file on her desk. "The paperwork never ends, I swear. You'll see."

Rose starts to walk put of her office without waiting for an answer. In a few strides he's caught up with her and takes her hand.

They take the elevator up and get off on the forty-third floor. Rose leads him down to the left.

"I left a lot of things undone before," she admits. "Now I have to pretend that I just forgot to turn in all my forms."

He is, once again, paying her no attention. This is getting to be a rather annoying habit of his. Rose looks over as his hand slips from hers. The area they are in looks suddenly, painfully familiar, and he moves slowly towards the door leading to the stairway.

"Doctor?"

He doesn't respond, only pushes the door open. Rose follows him as he walks up the stairs. Two flights up, he pushes open another door and walks into a room. It is large and white and deserted. He moves into the center of it without saying a word.

Rose closes her eyes and forces herself to follow. She is shaking, but she keeps moving to him.

He's standing before the wall now, right where Rose had stood after Pete had come back for her. At the time she'd wished she could have dropped through the Void, just to avoid the pain she felt. Just staring at the expanse of white makes her feel ill.

The Doctor raises a hand that shakes slightly and touches the wall. On the other side is the remains of that other Torchwood, destroyed at Canary Wharf. Where he stood, after he lost Rose.

"I knew you were here," he says without turning around. "The wall had closed but I could feel you, standing right here."

"I felt you, too," Rose admits. Her throat is suddenly raw, as if she'd only just finished screaming at the world for taking her from him.

"My world ended that day, Rose. The only reason I moved away from this wall is because I didn't want you to stay here. You had to go on."

The Doctor finally turns around to face her. "I never ever thought I'd get you back."

"Yeah, you tend to say 'impossible' when you really mean 'more than likely', don't you?"

"Oi. It shouldn't have been possible."

"That's because you underestimated me," she says lightly. "If you'd had a little faith who knows what could have happened?"

He walks to her and takes her hands in his. "Rose Tyler," he says, "I will never underestimate you again."


	6. Chapter 5

"So where were you this afternoon?" Rose asks.

They're walking to her car. The sun is still shining and it's a pleasant evening. They're holding hands. They couldn't say who reached for the other's hand.

"I told you," he says, voice full of innocence, "I was doing payroll paperwork. Payroll paperwork." He repeats the words thoughtfully. "Love alliteration."

"For hours?"

"Apparently Pete didn't supply necessary documents. I'll need to go back tomorrow. Bit awkward, trying to explain why I have nothing to prove I'm me."

"All that talk of documentation, and Dad forgot?" Rose is amused by this. Perhaps Pete was more nervous about the day's visitors than she realized. It isn't every day you get to meet the President.

"Saw Jake today," the Doctor says as they get into the car.

"Yeah? What was he doing? I didn't see him at all today. He's a bit higher up than me these days, but he usually manages to come and say hello." Rose drives out of the employee parking lot and heads for the mansion.

"He took me to lunch."

"What?" she says indignantly. "And neither one of you thought to come get me?"

"At the cafeteria."

"Oh. That's okay, then. How did you pay?" she asks worriedly. He has nothing to his (false) name, and she feels guilty for not remembering.

"Oh, they charged it to my account." The Doctor stretches his legs out in front of him. Rose's car is large enough to let him do so, a black SUV-type model that does not exist in the other world. He thinks briefly about Donna's tiny car, hitting his head on the roof each time she hit a bump, on the way to stopping the Racnoss on Christmas Eve.

"If we die before the end of the month we don't have to pay the lunch charges. What are you smiling about?"

"Oh, just remembering a car I rode in once. Long time ago." He sits up straight and looks around. "Good old London."

* * *

Pete has gotten home before them. He's changed clothes and is running up and down the driveway with Tony.

"What in the world is he doing?" Rose parks the car and they get out to take a look.

Pete is holding what looks like controls to a toy car. Tony is sitting in the car, screaming with laughter as his father attempts to steer it with the remote.

"Oh, no," Rose says.

"Looks like fun," the Doctor comments.

"Rose! Look at my car!" Tony yells.

Rose waves. "Love it, sweetheart!" she calls, and starts towards the front door. She's already there before realizing she's alone. Turning around, she sees the Doctor and Pete gesturing over the car. She narrows her eyes and has a moment's thankfulness that the Doctor no longer has a sonic screwdriver. The damage that tool could do to an ordinary human remote control would be staggering.

"Did you see Pete's new toy?" Jackie asks when Rose finds her upstairs in her bedroom.

"I did, yeah. It's cute."

"Tony won't get out of it. We may have to let him sleep in it." Jackie impulsively gives Rose a hug. "Oh, it's so nice to see you!"

"You just saw me this morning."

"Oh, I know. I just..." Jackie trails off and shrugs. Rose nods. She understands that her mother has said goodbye to her too often in the past.

"I'm not going anywhere, Mum. I promise. After all, we did it."

"Yeah, we did. I still can't believe it."

"Seems like it was all a dream."

"Rose?" Jackie asks cautiously.

"I'm okay, Mum,"

"I know it's not easy, being with him - "

"I'm okay, Mum," Rose says again. "We just...need to get to know each other. Again."

"It will get better." Jackie speaks as a woman who knows. And who would know better than she? "When we first got here, it was hard for me to remember who Pete was. And who he wasn't. He wasn't your dad, with his dreams and daft schemes -" She breaks off, then, because even though she suspects that Rose knows the truth about her father, she still doesn't like to admit that he had been anything other than perfect.

Rose smiles. "I know, Mum. I wanted him to be Dad, but he was his own Pete, wasn't he? But it worked."

"Yeah. Not perfectly, but he was so much the same that it was easy. You and the Doctor have a different relationship, though, don't you?"

"I'm not sure what we have, at the moment," Rose admits. She gives Jackie an impulsive hug of her own. "But he's here, and he says he's going to stay with me." She stops and takes a deep breath before looking her mother in the eye. "We came by to pick up the Doctor's things."

"Oh?" Jackie manages to put an entire paragraph into that single short word.

"I have a guest room," Rose says defensively.

"I'm not saying anything," Jackie says virtuously. "Not a word, not a peep. Shall I help you pack it up?"

Rose smiles. Actions are louder than words, and her mother has just given her blessing.

* * *

Outside, Pete and the Doctor are watching Tony go up and down the drive in his little car. He's laughing so hard it's a wonder he doesn't fall out.

"I didn't see too much of you today," Pete says.

"Rose showed me around. I met some people." The Doctor glances at him. "You didn't get my documents. Had a hard time in human resources. They wouldn't sign me up without proof of life."

Pete is annoyed with himself. "I'm sorry. The President came by and threw off the whole day. We'll get it done tomorrow." His cell phone rings and he hands the remote over. "Here, you drive for a bit."

The Doctor steers Tony around while Pete finishes his call. He only bumps the little car into stationary objects once or twice. Tony doesn't seem to mind.

Pete hangs up and stares at his son for a moment, carefully avoiding the Doctor's eyes. The Doctor braces himself.

"You and Rose getting along okay?"

The Doctor blushes, remembering just how well they've been getting along. Luckily it's getting dark out.

"Yes, thanks. We're, er, coping." He pauses, then rushes in. It's been too long since he's had someone to confide in. "I'm trying. She's trying. I'm not what she wanted," he confesses. "I'm a poor substitute, maybe."

Pete shakes his head. "You're not a substitute. You're just a different man. You think it was easy for me? One day my wife is dead, the next I see her alive."

"I remember. Did my best to bring you two together."

"Yeah. You met my Jackie, my wife here, before...everything happened. You were at the house that night. You know, when I met her we were young and stupid and poor, and she was so full of life. When the money started coming in she changed. She got harder. So hard to make her happy, toward the end." Pete sighs and takes the remote back.

"But my Jackie now...she's so strong and tough and loyal. She can spend money as well as anyone, don't get me wrong. But her first priority is the kids. It's always the kids first. She's brave and fearless, and she'll do anything for them. Anything. My wife never wanted kids - said they were bad for her figure. We had a dog instead. I wasn't crazy about the dog, to be honest. I wanted a family. I've never been as happy as when we found out about Tony. I've been happier with Jackie these past few years than I was in the last decade with my old Jackie, even with her temper."

"Jackie is hell on wheels," the Doctor admits. "But she loves Rose. She raised her right. You know what? You're a good man, Pete. Rose's dad was a good man, too."

"Jackie spoke of him when she first came here. After a while we stopped talking about her Pete and my Jackie. Seemed pointless."

"Pete Tyler was brave," the Doctor states unequivocally. "He was the bravest man I ever met. Had everything in the world to live for, and he chose to die to save the world."

"Jacks hasn't told me that part." Pete looks at him questioningly.

"She's not to hear of it," the Doctor warns. "I made a mistake once, went back in time when I shouldn't have, because I couldn't say no to Rose. Pete fixed that mistake, when he died, but Jackie won't remember. Best not to tell her."

Pete nods, shaken. "I won't."

They fall silent, taking turns playing with the remote control, until Pete speaks again. "I'm not her real father, but I feel like I am."

"You're the same."

"You know what I mean. When she tried to tell me about her parallel world, before you two left here the last time, I wouldn't listen. I couldn't handle that on top of losing my wife. I had a long time to think about it, though. And then when we jumped to your world to follow the Cybermen-" Pete stops and laughs.

"There was Jackie, as if she'd never been killed. And Rose. I went back for her," Pete says abruptly. "I had to. She wasn't mine and I felt nothing for her, but I went back."

"You saved her life. She was heading to the Void when you reappeared. To an eternity of nothingness."

"Jackie would never have forgiven me if I hadn't gone back. She would have stepped out of the building and disappeared, and probably taken Mickey with her."

"They would have had some words for you first, I imagine."

"I'll never forget Rose, pounding on that wall. There was no way to get her back to you. We tried. She never stopped trying." Pete pauses. "She's my daughter now, in every way that counts. I've seen her devastated because of you. You say you're here for good -"

"I am."

"Then I'm glad. But if you ever leave her-"

"I will never leave Rose," the Doctor states, and his tone is absolute.

Pete nods. "That's the right answer."

"That's the only answer," the Doctor says coldly, and heads for the house.

Rose meets him halfway to the door. She is carrying two suitcases.

"There you are," she says in relief. "Here - take these to the car."

"What's this?"

"Your things from upstairs. Go on, I have another bag waiting."

"Yes, Ma'am." Laden with baggage, the Doctor heads back to her car.

Pete and Tony have followed the Doctor up to the house.

"Where are you going with his things?" Pete asks casually.

"My flat," Rose says. She does not say "of course", but it's definitely there.

"Your flat. There's no need for that, we have plenty of room here -"

Jackie nudges Pete out of the way. "Stop it. Come on, Tony, and wash your hands so we can eat."

"Ready," the Doctor announces, just outside the doorway, "so we can be off, then."

"I thought you were staying for dinner," Jackie protests.

"We are," Rose assures her hastily, throwing a look of apology at the Doctor. The look he throws her back is not encouraging. "Just dinner," she adds. "We have some things to do afterwards."

"Come along inside, then," Jackie says impatiently. "Honestly, you men. You think everything runs on your own convenience."

Pete and the Doctor exchange a long look before going inside.

* * *

Dinner that night is salmon. Lucy the maid serves the meal under Mrs. Colton's direction. She doesn't seem to recognize the Doctor any more than she recognized Rose from that night of Cybermen invasion. The Doctor, despite his earlier comments, doesn't seem to notice Lucy, either.

"Where is that little dog?" he asks. "She was called Rose, too."

"She ran away," Pete says briefly. "That night, the house was left wide open when we all escaped. Haven't seen her since."

Jackie shakes her head "Good riddance. Imagine, wanting a dog more than a child."

The Doctor grins at her. "I'll never understand anyone who doesn't prefer Rose."

"Okay, that's enough, thanks," Rose says mildly.

"They said on the news that all the weather problems are clearing up," Jackie says. "Temps are going back to normal. Another golden age."

"Everything's been reset," Pete agrees. "Earth should recover now."

"Mrs. Tyler, there's an urgent call for you," Mrs. Colton says, coming back into the dining room.

Jackie pushes away from the table and leaves the room. She comes back minutes later, openly upset.

"Pete, that was Maggie. She and Dan were in a car wreck."

"Oh, no. Are they all right?"

"They're both in hospital."

Pete stands up. "Let's go."

"Tony's godparents," Rose explains to the Doctor. "They're really good friends of Mum and Dad."

"Watch Tony, Rose? We won't be very long. I just want to make sure they're okay." Jackie gives Tony a hasty kiss on the head, then kisses Rose's cheek. She kisses the Doctor on the mouth, taking them both by surprise, before she and Pete leave the room.

"Your mum's more upset than I realized," he comments, rubbing his mouth.

"Shut up."

* * *

After dinner is a difficult time. Tony is quite taken with the Doctor and demands to play. The Doctor obligingly waves little action figures around. Tony clearly has a new hero.

Rose watches in amusement as the tiny person orders the Doctor about. He's given a reprieve when Mrs. Colton comes to give him dessert, but the ice cream only makes him more demanding.

"Can I ride my car, Rose?" Tony asks for the third time. He's found them hiding in Pete's den, and is clearly ready for more fun to come his way.

"I said no. It's dark outside. Shall we watch a movie?"

"No." Tony looks supremely annoyed, then heads over to a box in the corner of the den. It's full of building blocks, and he dumps them out all over the floor.

"Rose?" he asks hopefully.

"Oh, all right." Rose gets up from beside the Doctor and sits on the floor.

Soon enough the Doctor joins them. "What are these, then? Blocks." He peers at them a moment, then reaches into his shirt pocket and pulls out a pair of glasses.

"Where'd those come from?" Rose asks in surprise.

He puts them on and grins at her. "I saw Jake today," he reminds her. "Turns out he knows of a place down the road from Torchwood that checks your eyes and makes glasses. I couldn't go on without them."

They are identical to the pair he's worn since regenerating at Christmastime. Rose shakes her head. "You are something."

"Why, thank you."

They all play with the blocks and Rose isn't paying too much attention until Tony asks what the Doctor is making. She looks over from her little stack of brightly colored blocks.

The Doctor has built a tall rectangle out of blue blocks. At the top of it is a single yellow block, like a light on the top of an old police box.

"Doctor?" she asks quietly.

He smiles at her. "It's just blocks, Rose." He pulls the little TARDIS apart and stands up.

Rose looks at her watch and stands as well. "Doesn't look like Mum will be home soon. Come on, Tony. Time for bed." She glances at the Doctor. "I can do this myself."

He looks surprised. "Ought I help? I was just going to watch television."

Rose puts Tony to bed and calls her mother's cell phone. Maggie is fine and Dan is in surgery. Rose promises to stay with Tony until they come home.

The Doctor is still in the den, watching TV in the dark. Mrs. Colton and the maids have cleaned up and gone for the evening.

"Mum and Dad should be home in an hour or so," Rose reports, standing next to his chair. "Their friend Dan is in surgery and they're waiting for him to get out."

He looks up at her, his face glowing blue from the TV screen. "Is it serious?"

"Some bleeding. He should be fine." There's another chair and a couch in the room, but Rose opts to sit next to him in the recliner. He obligingly shifts over as far as he can. She wedges herself in and puts her legs over his. The Doctor moves his arm up around her shoulders.

"What are we watching?" she asks.

"There's nothing on," he complains. "The Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire had all those news channels. The Game Station had 500 floors of game shows. Don't your parents have basic cable programs?"

"Are you comparing today's TV shows to the Dalek emperor's plan to destroy humanity?" she asks lightly.

"Not in so many words, no. But there's nothing of any interest to - hang on, are Brad and Angelina in this world as well?"

"What?" Rose knows who they are - she's just amazed to hear the names come out of his mouth.

"Look at this - another rubbish alien movie."

"Perfect." Rose snatches the remote from his hand and drops it on the floor.

Ten minutes later the Doctor is all but writhing in pain. "Rose! You of all people must understand how ridiculous this movie is! Martians are not green."

"No, and mutant pigs do not live on the planet Myarr. This is make-believe. Suspend reality for a bit, would you?" Rose pats his hand where it rests on her shoulder.

"You are killing me," he announces a while later. "I cannot continue like this. I absolutely refuse! There is no hospitable atmosphere on Caius Seven!"

"Stop it."

"That's it," he says after the first commercial break is over. "That is it. A space craft would never be able to fly if it looked like that. The hydraulics are all wrong, for starters, and the -"

Rose reaches for the remote and turns the TV off. "Honestly," she says, "you are the worst-" She breaks off as he kisses her mouth. "Mmmm."

"Mmmm," he agrees.

She breaks away and smiles. "Well."

"Well," he echoes.

She traces his jaw with a fingertip, lightly touching his hips. "Tell me a story," she says suddenly, "about when I was gone."

His eyebrows go up in surprise. "What?"

"What did you do after Canary Wharf?" she asks. "I met Donna and Martha - what were you doing with them all that time while I was here?"

He settles back in the chair and rests his head against hers. "Let's see...oh! I went to New New York again."

"Did you? When?"

"About thirty years after we were there. Martha was annoyed," he confesses.

"Didn't she like it there?"

"She didn't like that I'd brought her someplace I'd been to with you. She may have been a bit jealous."

"Huh." Rose is too comfortable and happy to get worked up over that. "Did she fancy you?"

"Maybe. A bit. Unfortunately for her, I was still in love with you."

She turns her head and smiles at him. He smiles back.

"Saw the Face of Boe," he continues. "And Novice Hame. Remember her?"

"Not very well. I had someone else in my head at the time."

"That's understandable," he concedes.

"What else?" she demands.

"Saw Shakespeare. Spent some time in 1969. Flew to the end of the universe. That one didn't go too well. Ah - stopped a Dalek invasion on Earth."

"Shut up! Again?"

"Afraid so. They just don't stop, do they?"

"No."

Their thoughts both turn to the Crucible, where the Daleks hopefully were defeated for good.

"I freed the Ood," he says suddenly. "Wherever they are, they're no longer enslaved. They're free."

"Really? That's wonderful. That's brilliant." Rose is pleased beyond measure at this.

He grins at her. "It was, and I was." He leans down to kiss her again, and Rose kisses him back. Things are going along very well, and who knows what would have happened next, when they hear Jackie and Pete come in.

The Doctor swears under his breath. Rose giggles and moves out of the chair. Sooner or later they will have time and privacy to deal with each other and this newfound intimacy. Rose isn't sure how she feels about that, but she knows it's going to happen.

"They're doing well," Jackie tells them. "Thank you for staying with Tony."

"Of course, Mum." Rose kisses her goodnight and heads to her car. Pete follows her.

"Are you sure about this, Rose?" he asks her.

She stands next to her car, looking at her father by the light of the house lamps.

"Are you...are you going to show fatherly concern?" she asks in amusement.

"Yes. No! I know I'm not your dad-"

She starts to laugh, and he frowns at her.

"Nothing funny about that, it's the truth."

She smiles and shakes her head. "Dad, I made a mistake once and asked the Doctor to take me back in time to save my dad. It didn't work. I almost destroyed the world. But I met my dad, and he's you. You're my father."

They so rarely speak openly about that, that he is and isn't her father, that Pete has to work to keep his eyes dry and his expression even.

"Yes. Well. Thank you, Rose. I really feel like you're my daughter, and I have to make sure. I know this is what you've wanted for a long time. He's here now. Are you sure it's what you want?"

Rose turns around to look at the house. The Doctor is talking to Jackie on the front steps. He is nodding, and Jackie reaches up and kisses his cheek.

Rose remembers a man who would have been horrified to have that happen, and another man who would have wiped his mouth on his sleeve and demanded mouthwash.

This man kisses Jackie back and bounces down the steps, beaming with delight as he meets Rose's gaze.

Small moments are the ones that show you what is true. Not huge, earth-shattering scenes of revelation. Not dramatic exposition. Just ordinary, day to day moments.

"Dad, I want this more than anything else in the universe," Rose says. "If I'm never sure about anything else ever again in my life, I will be sure of him."


	7. Chapter 6

"You and Dad have a nice chat?" Rose asks as they drive to her flat.

"We're on the same page."

"What's that mean?"

"Oh, you know. Stuff. We agree on some stuff."

That's all she can get out of him, and she suspects more was said than he's going to admit to her.

They carry the bags in from the car and Rose shows him the guest room. He looks around without commenting and dumps his bags on the floor.

"I'm going to change, I think," he says, and opens up a suitcase at random.

She's not sure whether to be relieved or disappointed. "Okay. Me too."

She closes the door behind her and the Doctor rifles through his things until he finds a t-shirt and what look to be sweat pants. He doesn't remember trying on either one but assumes he must have done so the other day.

After he changes his clothes he walks to the window and looks outside. There are too many lights to see the sky very well. Instead of stars all he can see is a sliver of moon. He remembers a different moon, standing on it with Martha Jones outside of Royal Hope Hospital. He wonders if this moon is the same, if it bears marks from a similar outing. He wonders how he will survive here on this world, in this universe, where the turning of time is slow but relentless and cannot be escaped.

He wonders how long he will have to pretend all is well until it actually is.

He wonders how he will like Torchwood. How he'll like remaining in one place. How he'll like being human.

He wonders how long it will be before he and Rose...well. They're in the same flat, if not the same bedroom. It's bound to happen eventually.

He hears Rose outside his room, moving around the flat. Well. He is not alone here. He has Rose Tyler. He grins, because he meant what he told Pete earlier.

He will never ever leave her.

* * *

Rose smiles at him as he comes out of his room. He's holding up his toothbrush and she shows him the bathroom.

"We'll be sharing it," she says, "it's the only one here." She sees the faint flush on his cheeks, and wonders if she's imagining it.

"That's fine." He brushes his teeth quickly and emerges to find her deep in a pile of mail.

"It's amazing how much mail adds up when you're out saving the world," she says lightly. She's sitting at her kitchen table, flipping through a fashion catalogue. She's washed off her makeup and her hair is back in a ponytail. She's wearing at-shirt and pajama pants, and she has never looked more beautiful to him.

To distract himself he starts searching for a glass in the cupboards and gets himself some water.

"If you're hungry, I think there's food in the refrigerator. I'll have to go shopping tomorrow."

"Nah, I'm fine." The strange awkwardness he feels is confusing, especially since not an hour before they were making out in a darkened room.

This human business is too much for him. No doubt he's doing something wrong, but a male, be he human or Time Lord - or both - can withstand the woman he loves and wants only so far when she's essentially wearing only her pajamas right in front of him.

"Well." He sets his glass down. "I'm going to...I'll just...be off, then. For the night. For tonight."

Rose blinks up at him. "Okay."

They say an awkward goodnight and Rose sifts through her mail and saves the bills and throws the rest away. She goes to her room and reads a magazine in bed. She retains about one word in seven, which she thinks is rather good. Her mind keeps going back to the Doctor, right in the next room.

The Doctor is in her flat. Lying in bed next to her room. Wearing clothes that she picked out, never thinking he'd look so gorgeous in them.

She wonders what her mother would say.

He surprises her half an hour later by coming in through the partially opened door.

"Rose? You awake?" He'd asked that question many times while they were traveling in the TARDIS, usually waking her up out of a sound sleep for something decidedly not that important.

"Yeah. What's wrong?" Rose sets aside her magazine and tries to speak calmly, even though her heart is suddenly racing.

"Nothing." He steps into the room and falls onto the bed next to her. He's wearing his new glasses and is wielding a notebook and a pencil.

"I've been thinking," he says, settling in on his stomach next to her. He's so close she can smell the shampoo in his hair, something fruity that Jackie keeps in her guest bathrooms.

"Oh, yeah?" This would have looked more promising to Rose had he not been carrying that notebook.

"Yeah. Look." He is brimming with excitement as he shows her the notebook, opened to a drawing.

Rose squints at it in the lamplight. "That looks like your sonic screwdriver."

"Brilliant, isn't it? I think I can build one here."

"Yeah?" She's surprised but pleased for him.

"I think so. Torchwood has most of what I need."

"It does?"

"I may have had a look around at the research and development labs," he admits.

She raises an eyebrow. "Did you?"

He winks at her. "Found myself an accomplice."

"Did you?" she says again. "What do you need an accomplice for?"

"I need someone to fetch and carry," he says with a straight face. "Also, someone who knows their way around Torchwood."

"So you're outsourcing, then?" She smirks and goes back to her magazine, pretending to read while secretly focusing all of her attention on him.

He doesn't leave, but stays put in her bed, drawing in the notebook. As he sketches he keeps up a running explanation of what he's doing and why, and what materials will work and why. He shows her a design that makes no sense at all to her but apparently does to him. She's surprised to see that his notes are in English, not the elaborate circle script he'd used on the TARDIS. Once in a while he mutters to himself as he erases a mistake.

His voice is so familiar and beloved, even with the slightly different speech patterns. Sometimes a word she doesn't understand sneaks out, and she is reminded that the TARDIS is not here to translate for him. Rose listens to that voice and pays no attention at all to the words.

Rose could almost believe the last few years never happened, that they've never been apart and have always been here, in this place together.

She reaches out and smoothes his hair back, running her fingers through it. With the lamplight falling on it his hair looks almost ginger. She smiles in amusement at the thought. He glances up, catching her smile.

"What is it?" His voice is husky and low.

She shakes her head, suddenly afraid of what might happen if she tells him truth.

He catches her hand in his and holds it briefly against his cheek before letting her go. He turns a page in his notebook and keeps drawing. Rose goes back to looking at her magazine and listening to his voice.

She falls asleep without meaning to.

She wakes up a few hours later, blinking in the light. She's in bed and her lamp is still on. The Doctor lies beside her, asleep. He's still lying on his stomach, head on his arm and his glasses sliding down his nose. He's still holding his pencil.

Rose carefully eases the glasses off his face and puts them on the nightstand along with the notebook and pencil. She turns off the lamp and lays back down.

* * *

Sometime in the night they've shifted, so that he's on his side with her tucked up against him. Rose awakens slowly and starts to turn over. She's stopped by the Doctor's arm, lying heavy across her waist.

Rose assesses the situation. She doesn't know what time it is but her alarm hasn't gone off. She snuggles back against him and closes her eyes. Her hair brushes his jaw and he murmurs her name in his sleep.

* * *

This time it's his voice that wakes her.

"Blimey, but humans sleep a lot."

Rose opens one eye. "What?"

"We slept all night. All night!"

"Mmm hmm."

"Six hours, thirty-nine minutes and seventeen seconds. Doing nothing! Just sleeping!"

"And you say it in that tone of disgust because...?"

"You're used to this, of course."

"I am, yes." Rose lets him go on about poor pitiful humans and sleeping their lives away only because he hasn't been one himself for very long.

Luckily, the Doctor gives up talking, realizing that he's lying in a bed, wrapped up with Rose Tyler.

"I am in bed with Rose Tyler," he says experimentally.

"Is that how you're saying good morning these days?"

He grins. "Just seeing what it sounds like."

"Idiot."

"Good morning."

She smiles despite herself and puts her arm around his neck. "Good morning."

"I believe this is a first for us," he comments, as her hand ruffles her hair.

"Oh, we've been in the same bed before," she assures him. "Remember the sanctuary base on Krop Tor?"

"I wasn't sleeping back then, Rose. Back then I was awake all night figuring out how to get the TARDIS back." And riddled with guilt over trapping her in a time that wasn't her own, terrified of what might happen to her if something happened to him.

"Same difference," she murmurs, and kisses his neck.

That's right. Rose has never been a victim, not even on that sanctuary base. She's a take charge sort of girl, which he has never really, fully appreciated until now.

New and interesting human hormones are making themselves known to the Doctor's newly human body. He may have enjoyed sharing a bed with Rose before, but he was always able to control any urges he'd felt at the time. Necessary, when you're over 900 and your lovely companion is only twenty and only one of you is human.

She's a bit older now, but he's a hell of a lot younger.

Maybe, just maybe, he has one less reason to kick some pompous Time Lord ass.

"Rose," he murmurs back.

"Mmm?" She's still kissing his neck, moving up his jaw to his cheek.

He slowly touches her cheek with his lips. Her skin is soft and she makes a soft sound of pleasure as he touches her.

Well. He traces her waist and hips with his hand. She moves even closer him and reaches under his shirt, and things are just getting interesting, and there's a sudden pounding on the front door.

"What is that?" he asks, totally shaken out of his stupor.

Rose rolls over and listens in the direction of the front door. "What time is it?"

"Rose!" someone yells. "Come on!"

"It's Simon," she says in surprise.

"What's he want?"

Rose tumbles out of bed and heads to the door, straightening her clothes as she goes. The Doctor is behind her, not too happy about this.

Rose opens the door. "Simon, what do you want?"

Simon Lazlow is standing there, pointing to his watch. "You're late! We're going to the gym today, remember? It's Wednesday."

"Are you daft? I just got back. Go work out on your own."

"It's _Wednesday_, Rose. I can't go to yoga on my own - the girls will all think I'm gay." Simon notices the Doctor standing there.

"Well, Doctor John Smith. Hello."

"Hello." The Doctor raises a hand in a half-hearted wave.

"I'm not going to the gym if you're not," Simon says.

"Then don't go. See you later." Rose tries to close the door but he slips inside. He's wearing workout clothes and carrying a gym bag. "I'll just go shower, then," Simon says cheerfully and heads off towards the back of the flat.

"What do you think you're doing?" Rose asks indignantly.

"I know where the bathroom is, Rose. I'd love some eggs, if you're making breakfast."

Rose and the Doctor stand in the hallway and look at each other.

"Oh, well," he sighs. "More of the same, eh?"

"Bloody Simon." She moves into his arms and hugs him.

"Rose," he whispers into her hair.

"Yes, Doctor?"

He kisses her forehead and cheek. She closes her eyes and is glad for the support of her arms.

He gives her one last kiss on the curve of her jaw. "I call the shower next," he whispers.

She leans back and smacks his arm as hard as she can.

"Ow! You _have_ been going to the gym," he says in admiration.

* * *

The Doctor is not jealous of Simon, not of his being here so early or of a standing gym date. Hasn't he heard reports from countless people about Rose's single-minded devotion to him? But he does find it annoying that he's here first thing in the morning, this morning.

"We go the gym together," Simon explains. "Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays. We car pool to work those days."

"Do you live close by?"

"Not too far from here. It's brilliant," Simon assures the Doctor from the stove, where he's cooking up the last eggs in Rose's refrigerator. "I go with Rose to all the girly classes, and if there's someone I'm interested in we have an instant conversation starter. Rose is a good buffer if I'm not keen on someone."

"You know, I'm just going to finish getting dressed." The Doctor leaves his tea on the kitchen table and escapes to his bedroom.

Rose dresses quickly after her shower and hunts Simon down. He is dressed for work in jeans and a button-down shirt. Over this he's wearing a ridiculous floral apron that Jackie put in the kitchen when Rose moved in.

"You daft idiot," Rose says in annoyance. "This is the last time you show up here uninvited."

"You came back, I assumed we were on like always. How was I to know the Doctor would be here?"

"That's not the point."

"Of course it is. If I'd known I would have left you alone." Simon tips some eggs out of the pan and onto a plate. He glances casually at Rose.

"Mickey really gone, then?"

Rose nods curtly. "Yeah. He's gone."

"Where to?"

"Didn't you hear?"

"Jake said, but...all the stuff we've seen, I've seen it so I can believe it's true. But it's still weird. Another universe with parallel people in it, all living their lives."

"I saw it over and over again. It's real, I promise. Mickey went home, to where we came from."

"Poor bastard. I knew he was planning something. He kept looking at you like you were the only thing keeping him alive, those last few days."

"Simon -"

"Not your fault, Rose." Simon sits down and starts to eat. "I knew the minute I met you there was someone else. Mickey Smith never did figure that out, did he?"

He looks up when she doesn't respond. She's standing there, smiling at him.

"What?"

"I only just realized. You're my best friend over here. You're the only one I could ever talk to about anything at all." Rose is amazed that it took her so long to see this. How often did she talk to him about the Doctor, about Mickey?

"I'm a good listener," Simon concedes. "That's important to women."

Rose shakes her head. "And the moment is gone." She turns around and leaves the kitchen.

"Don't forget your eggs," Simon calls after her. "There may be toast later."

"Idiot."

Rose knocks on the Doctor's open door. He's wearing khaki trousers and a blue button-down shirt. Rose is still getting used to the sight of him out of his brown suit. She asks again, but he assures her once more that he's done with suits. He seems to like this casual look instead, although he's still wearing sneakers. Today they're a white pair that she bought, not the red pair he left the TARDIS in.

"Your friend Simon is a nutter," he informs her.

"I know. But he's a good friend, and he always supported me trying to find you."

"How does he manage at Torchwood? He'd drive me crazy within a day."

Rose smoothes his collar down. He has a white shirt on underneath but no tie. For a moment she misses his blue and brown tie, the one she thinks of as swirly-whirly, but a tie is nothing when you consider that she has him instead.

From his collar her hands go around his neck and then she is holding him tightly.

"Rose?"

"So many things are wrong," she says in a rush into his shoulder. "I treated Mickey so bad without meaning to. We were barely speaking at the end. I knew I was going to find you no matter what, and he was so angry about it."

"I don't blame him. If I knew you were leaving me I'd be pretty angry myself."

"Would you?" She pulls back to look him in the eye.

"No," he admits. He pulls her back against him. "I'd do whatever I had to to keep you with me. Mickey's not an idiot, but he didn't know how to do that, did he?"

"Wasn't his fault. He just...wasn't you."

"I'm a hard act to follow," he agrees.

"I knew what he was going to do. When we stopped the TARDIS back in London, when he left, I stayed inside with you, remember? You and me."

"I remember." They'd stood talking and laughing while Donna rang her mother and everyone else left for their own lives. While Mickey walked out of hers.

"I didn't even care, I was so mad at him. I didn't say goodbye."

"He's fine, Rose. Wherever he is, whatever he ends up doing, he'll be fine."

"Yeah. I know." Rose kisses his mouth quickly. "Simon made eggs."

"I know."

"Are you hungry?"

"Not for Simon's eggs."

"Shall we stop on the way for something? Simon can lock up."

"Yeah. I was just -" the Doctor lets go of Rose and turns around, reaching for his glasses and notebook. "This is so weird," he says. "These clothes have pockets, but they're ordinary human pockets. They don't hold anything. How do you get around like that?"

Rose is amused. "I carry a bag."

"Men don't do that here, do they?"

"No," she says decidedly.

He sticks his glasses in his shirt pocket. He finds his brown jacket and crams the notebook into the inside pocket. The coat has two outside pockets as well, but that doesn't occur to him. He shrugs it on, and Rose admires his taste in coats. It's not long, like his last coat, but stops below his hips. He's absurdly handsome in it, and she's rather distracted by it.

She comes to her senses as she watches him fish around for the notebook, which is too large to fit inside the coat.

"Oh," she says suddenly. "I'll be right back."

The Doctor stays in his room, ripping out the pages he designed his new sonic screwdriver on, folding them and putting them back in the coat pocket. He tosses the notebook aside.

Rose comes back into his room, carrying a shopping bag. She walks around the suitcases still sitting on the floor and steps over the clothes he wore yesterday.

"Here." She shoves the bag into his arms.

"Did you buy me something else?" he asks, bemused.

She smiles and shakes her head. "No."

His blue suit is inside the bag, the one he hasn't seen since they were in the department store. He looks from the bag to her, confused.

Rose sighs and shakes her head. "Let me." She pulls the suit jacket out and unbuttons it to show him the lining.

"Yes, you've said it's an unattractive color," he says.

She points to the pocket.

"The lining's not so great, either."

She looks at his coat meaningfully, then at the blue jacket.

He only blinks at her. "What?" And then, staring at the lining, he says, "Oh! Oh, yes. Of course."

"I'm sure we could find a tailor to transfer this into your coat. Or any other jacket you pick out."

He is incredibly pleased and grins at her, reaching out to hold the jacket. His hands close over hers and she grins back at him.

"Bigger on the inside," they chorus.

Simon wants to know what's so funny, but that only makes them laugh harder.


	8. Chapter 7

The Doctor uses his Torchwood security pass for the first time that morning, waving it at the same guard who wanted to know if he was on the visitor's log yesterday.

The guard takes the pass and stares hard at it, then stares just as hard at the Doctor.

"Here you are, Dr. Smith," he says finally, handing it back.

"Blimey, you lot are serious about security," the Doctor mutters.

"Sometimes we need to be. Sometimes he just likes to give people a hard time."

"Sooo, I can't help noticing that I'm working for Torchwood but don't exactly have an official capacity here," he says casually.

Rose is heading for her office, where she does have an official capacity.

"Dad will work that out with you," she says confidently.

"Rose, I couldn't help noticing yesterday that this is a big place. Why are you lot crowded down in the basement?"

Rose pushes the button for the elevator and turns to look up at him. "The Cybermen took over this building when they escaped from the factories they were locked up in. Not everyone thought they should be destroyed-"

"Pete told me, back on Canary Wharf. They were still considered people."

The elevator arrives and they get in. Rose pushes the button for her floor.

"Some thought they were people. Some thought they were murderers who should be destroyed immediately. While everyone was arguing over what to do, the Cybermen banded together. They did a lot of damage when they infiltrated Torchwood, before they came through to our - to the other Earth."

They arrive in the basement and set off for Rose's office.

"What's usable is being used," she continues. "A lot of the Tower is closed off. Out of forty-five floors, we occupy fifteen. For now, at least," she adds as they walk through the office's open door.

"At least what?" Riley asks from her desk.

"Nothing important," Rose answers.

"Just had a few questions about this building," the Doctor says.

"Rose would know," Riley agrees, not looking up from her computer monitor.

Rose sits at her desk and opens up her email. The Doctor perches on the edge, reading over her shoulder.

"Rose, is your phone ringing?" Riley calls.

"No."

"Your headset, then? It's not mine and something is beeping."

Rose is reminded that she's not wearing her headset, which is really a small earpiece. She digs around her jacket pockets until she finds it and hooks it over her left ear.

"Not mine, Riley. Sorry."

"Ooops, it's my cell phone."

"Fancy equipment," the Doctor comments, lightly touching Rose's ear.

"Useful in the field. We'll get you one," she promises.

He snorts. "As if."

Simon puts his head through the door a moment later. "Morning, all. Good news - monitors are blazing with alien activity. Riley, with me." He disappears, and Riley immediately heads out the door, holstering a gun as she leaves.

"Does everyone here carry weapons?" the Doctor demands.

"We _are _Torchwood. Defense is necessary against alien life forms sometimes."

He doesn't respond, and Rose manages a small grin.

"I can sense your disapproval from here."

"Despite being born in battle, I'm not a genocidal maniac with bloodlust in his eye."

She spins in her chair to look at him. He meets her gaze squarely.

"Don't say that," she orders him fiercely. "Don't ever say that again. You're not."

He continues to hold her gaze. "No?"

"You never were. Never." Her expression softens. "You were going to die on the Game Station to avoid destroying the Earth, weren't you? You were willing to die rather than do that."

He sighs. "You saved the day there, Rose Tyler. My way would have made Daleks out of everyone."

"Still. I know what you've done," she says softly. "I know what you are, and you have never done anything you didn't have to."

He moves off the desk, uncomfortable now. "Some would disagree with you. With good reason."

Rose stands up. "I don't care. D' you hear me? I don't care."

"Oh, Rose." He shakes his head. "What did I do, to merit such faith in me?"

She smiles. "You showed me a better way of living my life. You showed me how to make a difference."

He touches her cheek. "It was you who showed me how to do that."

"Then we make a good pair."

"I'm afraid, Rose," he confesses. "What am I doing here? Waiting for Pete to give me something to do? Waiting for you to-" He breaks off and sighs. "I need to be useful. I can't follow you around forever."

"Is that what you're doing? We've only been home two days."

He can't put into words what he feels - that he thinks she's coming around, getting used to him, but that he's worried she may not. He needs action, needs to move and see new things, and so far at Torchwood he's not been given an indication that he'll be of any use at all.

"No, I'm not following you around. Well, I am, apparently, but only because I know you the best."

Rose stares at him for a moment longer, tapping her foot. He smiles innocently and sits down in a nearby chair. Rose sits down as well, and starts deleting emails she hasn't read.

The Doctor sits back and digs out a packet of crisps he'd snagged from the fast food place they'd eaten breakfast that morning.

"That's disgusting," Rose says. "You just ate a plate full of pancakes and it's barely eight in the morning."

"The bag says salt and vinegar, but I'm pretty sure that's not what they taste like."

"Parallel world," Rose says, in the tone of voice that suggests she's been through this many, many times before. Which she has, with Mickey, with her Mum, with Pete and her coworkers. "Some things are different here. Stay away from anything labeled barbecue flavored, by the way."

"It's not that I mind watching you work," he continues, crunching away, "but surely there's something I could be doing here? I do have some slight knowledge of space and aliens."

"I think Dad will remember that it was you who saved us from the Cybermen."

"I hope so. May count towards a promotion in the future."

"There you are!" Jake says cheerfully, walking in. "Good to see you, Doctor." He shakes hands and looks down at Rose. "I just sent Simon and Riley out to check on some activity near here. Couldn't get you on the headset."

Rose reaches up and turned her headset on, looking a bit guilty.

"Sorry, Doctor, for the slow morning," Jake says to him. "I was hoping for something big and dangerous for you to handle today. But it's early yet."

"I'd appreciate that, Jake. Always like to be of use."

Jake grins and tosses him a headset. "Here you go. They come in handy when you're hunting aliens."

The Doctor regards the headset after Jake leaves and sticks it in his coat pocket.

"Company policy," Rose murmurs, not looking up from her desk.

"I'm the Doctor. I don't follow company policy. Ask UNIT."

"I would, if they were on this world."

"What, no UNIT?"

"No. There's a league of extraordinary gentlemen, though."

"A league of what? You're joking."

Rose's headset beeps before she can answer. "Rose, is the Doctor with you?"

"Yes, Dad. Shall he come up?"

"Please."

"See?" Rose asks. "Get ready to earn your promotion."

* * *

Pete tosses a packet across his desk. He's already locked his office door and swept the room with a scanning device to make sure nothing is being recorded without his knowledge. The Doctor watches these procedures in bemusement.

"Is this official procedure? Surely Torchwood, of all places, is secure?"

"Your documents were not obtained through strictly legal channels. I don't want any surprises later on. Go on," Pete says, nodding at the packet.

The Doctor unseals it and tips the contents onto Pete's desk.

"Birth certificate," Pete says. "Passport. National Identity Number, school records, a CV, driving license, a list of your oldest and dearest friends."

"That would be quite a list," the Doctor comments. He shoves everything back into the packet without looking everything over. Does human resources have these documents?"

"Some of them. Go up there and sign your employment agreement and you'll be official."

"Yes. Officially what, if I may ask? Just so we're clear."

"You're an amazing man, Doctor. I've seen you do things that none of us could manage or understand enough to try to do. There may be nothing going on right now, but I guarantee that when there is, you are the man I'll need to solve it."

The Doctor considers this. "Fair enough," he says briskly. "I'll see you later, Mr. Tyler."

He deals quickly with employment paperwork, marveling at the human need to document and process every aspect of life. With his packet of documents still under his arm, he heads to the development lab he found yesterday. Several people stop him to say hello, but he nods and keeps going.

The lab door is closed but he knocks and pushes it open. The young woman from yesterday is there, alone again. She wears a Torchwood headset today instead of earphones, and music appears to be coming out of her computer. She is an attractive young woman with dark curly hair, and wears her lab coat over a red tank top emblazoned with sequins.

The Doctor smiles at her. "Good morning, Anna."

"Good morning, Doctor Smith."

"No, just Doctor."

She looks a bit confused, just like she did yesterday when they had the exact same exchange. "Can I help you with something?"

"Yes, actually. Do you have a minute?"

"I'm entering some raw data from a project I'm working on, but I can certainly help you." Anna closes down her computer program and waits expectantly. She may not know his name but she certainly knows who he is.

The Doctor stops in front of her desk, drops his envelope, and pulls out some notebook pages from his pocket.

"Based on your experience," he shows her one of the drawings he made the night before, "how likely is it that we could manufacture or obtain the materials to make one of these?"

She looks the drawing over and frowns. "I don't understand your scribbles here - are they notes or something?"

"Yeah, never mind my handwriting," he says hastily. "The materials?"

"It depends on what you need to build this out of. What is this, anyway?"

He's not listening to her. "You're right. This is one of the development labs. I've already got the development part down."

"Let me see the rest," Anna says. She holds out her hand and several metal bracelets clash together. "What are you trying to make, Doctor Smith?"

"Really, it's just Doctor. And it's a device. A device that is very useful to me. I need to build another one since I can't buy one here."

"Is it imported?" Anna flips through the pages. "I can certainly give you a hand," she says, "but my work is strictly lower level. If you want more advanced assistance-"

"No, no, I don't need everyone in the building to know what I'm up to," he assures her.

"All right, then. Let's see what you have." A moment later, Anna says, "we may need to borrow some things from the other labs."

"When you say 'borrow', you mean...?"

She considers his drawings. "I mean sneak in when no one's around and help ourselves."

"Ah. Excellent. What _is _that beeping sound?" the Doctor demands, looking around.

Anna touches her headset. "No one is calling me. Do you have a headset yet?"

He pulls out the headset and peers at it closely. A tiny red light is flashing.

"Just touch the middle part there," Anna points to it and touches it for him.

"Now what?" he asks her, still holding it in front of him.

"Doctor, are you there?" Rose's voice comes from the small device.

"Rose?"

"You don't need to speak right into it, it's not a microphone," Anna murmurs.

"Doctor, we have trouble. Meet me out front?"

He grins. "Absolutely. Be right there."

"Fantastic. Be ready to run."

The Doctor slips the headset back in his pocket and grins at Anna.

"Just like old times."


	9. Chapter 8

Rose waits for the Doctor by the elevators.

"There you are," she says, grabbing his hand and leading him down to a side exit. "Where were you?"

"Researching and developing. Where are we going?" She's brought them outside to a parking lot.

"The control room monitors suspicious activity coming through," Rose explains. "An unidentified craft was picked up coming through our air space. Non-human tech."

"Ah." They've stopped in the middle of the lot. "What are we doing here?"

A black jeep pulls up. "Come on!" Ian calls from behind the wheel.

"Waiting for our ride," Rose tells the Doctor.

The jeep has a tracking computer built into a console in the backseat. Rose climbs in and switches it on. The Doctor gets in the front beside Ian.

"Nice vehicle," he says.

"Standard issue," Ian replies. "Alien tech spotted in the atmosphere, three miles east of here. Why do they always come to London? What's wrong with Birmingham or Cardiff?"

"Oh, I bet Cardiff's not as ordinary as you might think."

"I have the signal," Rose says. "Right where it was spotted. Control," she adds, activating her headset, "we're heading to the area now."

"Stay in contact," Control says.

"Heading out," Ian announces, and starts driving out of Torchwood.

They're on the highway, closing in on the signal, when Rose remembers something.

"Doctor, you never said. Where were you?"

"I was with my accomplice. She's going to help me find the proper materials for my...thing," the Doctor finishes lamely, glancing at Ian.

Ian is driving carefully but fast, but he spares a glance at the Doctor. "Your 'thing'? Is that an official alien term?"

"It's called a sonic screwdriver," the Doctor says shortly.

"What do you need a screwdriver for?"

"It's sonic."

"Sonic. Like sound waves? A good drill will do the same job, probably faster."

"It's a highly sophisticated, advanced piece of equipment, thank you very much."

"You just said it was a screwdriver," Ian protests.

Rose cuts in before things can get too heated. "Trust me, Ian, it's more powerful than it sounds. And who is your accomplice, anyway?" she asks.

"I met her in a development lab yesterday. She's currently working on a sonar tracking system for Torchwood, leading me to believe she has enough knowledge to know where I can find certain materials. Alien or otherwise."

"Sonar tracking?" Rose repeats. "What's that mean?"

"She didn't go into specifics," the Doctor says impatiently, "and I wasn't really interested."

"Tracking and defending bursts of alien energy and technology through sonic waves. Hopefully causing less damage to the atmosphere, since we're just recovering from global weather catastrophes."

The Doctor and Rose both stare at Ian.

"You're talking about Anna, yeah? She's my girlfriend. Been living with sonar tracking for over a year now." Ian activates his headset, leaves it on this time. "Control, we're here."

* * *

"Ready?" Rose says. Her eyes are sparkling with excitement. She's holding a tracking device that's started to beep every few seconds.

"I am," the Doctor says slowly. "Are you?"

"Well, yeah."

She's practically bouncing up and down. He hasn't seen her look so happy in a long time. His mind automatically supplies the exact length of time its been, and he shies away from the number. It's the same amount of time since he's been happy, too, and to think about how long it's really been is disheartening. He leans down without thinking and kisses her.

She blinks up at him in surprise and pleasure.

"Just like old times," he reminds her.

"Maybe better," she says, and kisses him back.

Maybe he's bouncing up and down, too, but he would never admit it.

"You two! Let's go," Ian calls.

Following the tracker, they make their way down a side street. Off of this is a small park.

"Straight ahead," Rose says. "Signal's getting stronger."

Ian leads the way, sweeping his head from left to right as he walks. "How much further?"

"A few hundred yards."

"We're all in civilian dress," the Doctor comments. "The last time I saw Torchwood everyone was in black. Have you changed uniforms?"

"We don't have uniforms," Ian says over his shoulder.

"Remember, Rose. In the Torchwood Tower when Jake and his team popped over?"

"Yeah. Sometimes we suit up in black if we're heading someplace with a lot of people. If you're going to be shooting at people or aliens, you want to be sure not to hit someone on your side."

"That is morbid."

"It may be morbid, but if you're shooting, you don't want to hurt your own team." They've come deep into the park and Ian stops to look at the tracker. "Anything?"

"A few yards ahead -" Rose stops as the beeping intensifies. "I mean, feet-"

Ian spins around, taking out his gun. The Doctor turns on the spot, scanning the area.

"I don't see anything," he says, badly wanting his sonic screwdriver. His heart is beating rapidly and in the back of his mind he thinks that he's almost gotten used to the single organ.

"Here." Rose pushes the scanner into his hands and takes out her gun.

"Rose!" He's more surprised than shocked. Where has she been hiding that?

She spares him a quick glance before moving away. "This is not our world, Doctor. The things that happen here are not the same. Torchwood is the only defense."

"I'm not criticizing, I only-"

"Will you two shut it?" Ian demands. "I'm trying to listen! How you ever managed to save the universe is beyond me."

The scanner lets out a shrill scream and stops. The Doctor looks down at the screen, then up at Rose. "Might there be an alien creature behind me?" he asks politely.

Rose nods. "Might be."

"I was afraid of that." He turns around slowly, aware that Ian and Rose have flanked him with their weapons drawn.

It is definitely an alien creature standing there. It is two meters high and has mottled green skin. Its clothing is black leather and there are two huge guns strapped to his hips.

"Were you looking for me?" it asks politely, from a face that resembles a crocodile with fewer teeth. "I believe I caught your tracking signal on my watch."

"You speak English," the Doctor says in surprise.

Rose glances at him. It took her a long time to remember that the TARDIS was no longer there to translate languages telepathically for her. For him to recall that now means its loss is still foremost in his mind. The thought hurts.

"I have a translation device."

"You've entered Earth's atmosphere," Rose says cautiously. "Unauthorized alien vehicles are prohibited."

The alien looks puzzled. "Ought I have filed a flight plan?"

"Who are you?" Ian asks. "You are an unidentified species to us."

The alien still looks puzzled. "I do not understand your question."

"I asked who you are."

"Ah, of course!" The Doctor takes a step forward. "I didn't think it was possible. Are you a Ninob, by any chance? Of the planet Nin?"

"I am."

"Amazing," the Doctor murmurs to Rose and Ian. "The Ninobs destroyed themselves during a civil war that lasted for three hundred years."

The Ninob draws itself up, making Rose and Ian train their weapons on him.

"Civil war! Ninobians have never raised arms against each other."

"Really? Huh. Interesting. This parallel universe is very unreliable," the Doctor complains over his shoulder to Rose.

"Why are you here?" Rose asks. "We represent the Torchwood Institute and we require an answer."

"My vehicle required an emergency landing. I'm having some engine trouble, you could say. I would be grateful for your assistance in getting me home."

The three of them glance around. There is no sign of a space craft, no indication that anyone in London has noticed one landing. And this London would definitely notice anything alien.

The Ninob shifts from foot to foot. "May I ask for assistance?" he asks again.

"Engine trouble," Ian says.

"Yes."

"What were you flying?" the Doctor asks. "Any sort of ship should have been visible from the sky. We monitored your ship but I don't see any sign of one landing down."

The Ninob opens and closes his mouth but says nothing.

"Pilot fish!" Rose says suddenly. "He is the pilot fish."

The Doctor starts to look around. Ian is a bit confused but follows his lead and scans the area as well.

"What is this fish you refer to?" the Ninob asks. "I am not an aquatic life form. Is my translation program missing an entry?"

"And who are you again?" the Doctor asks.

"I am ..."

"You're not here for your own purposes," Rose says. "Are you the decoy?"

"Decoy! You insult me!"

"That tears it," Ian says. He points his gun directly at the large creature. "Tell me your name. Tell me who you work for and why you are on my planet."

"He works for me," a high, piping voice says.

Everyone looks around, then up, then down.

A very short, pale creature stands behind them. If the Ninob is a ferocious-looking creature, this one looks absolutely harmless. It is wearing a dark vest and matching pants, with no weapons visible.

Ian raises his weapon, this time aiming at the small alien. Rose faces it as well, but keeps her gun trained on the Ninob.

"Who are you?" she asks.

"I am Deputy Corralin. The Ninob is in my employ."

"What is your employ?" Ian demands.

"Why are you on Earth?" Rose asks.

"We landed by mistake. We were heading to the outer part of the Malandra galaxy. Are we perhaps close to that?"

"We are unaware of the Malandra galaxy," Ian says slowly. "Care to fill us in?"

"It is my home," the alien says simply. "I believe we are lost. 'Earth', you call this place, correct?"

"That's right."

"Excellent. It should do nicely, Nonib. Notify the ship."

"The Malandra galaxy does not support life," the Doctor says sharply. "Who are you? You're not heading there. What are you after?"

The alien smiles. "We are after a home. As you said, that galaxy no longer supports life."

"What do you mean, 'no longer'? It never has."

"It has been our home for millennia. Recent changes in our atmosphere and in the worlds surrounding us have made it impossible to remain there. We are...relocating."

Rose and Ian exchange a quick glance. The darkness again, affecting worlds they knew nothing about.

"But that would make you...No way!" The Doctor's voice rises and then trails off. "You cannot settle here," he says absolutely. "You are incompatible with this population. With any population."

"Doctor, what is he?" Rose asks.

"If your world was in Malandra you must be Jennets. And Jennets were not tolerated by any other people. Am I correct?" he asks the alien.

The alien scowls. "You are correct. Our culture does not allow for inter-species mingling."

"Then you are definitely in the wrong place," Ian informs it. "This is our planet, a human planet. I am bound to inform you that you must remove yourselves at once or be taken into custody."

The alien sneers. "I hardly think so. Nonib, go."

The Nonib raises a hand that is suddenly holding a gun in it.

"Your companion is correct. We do not tolerate other species. We destroy them."

Ian reacts before the Nonib can do anything. He fires his weapon and the giant alien is thrown to the ground, covered in transparent string netting and rendered immobile.

Ian nods in satisfaction. "Nice."

He turns to the Jennet, aiming again. "That was your last chance."

"I don't think so, human." The alien pushes a patch on his vest and begins to levitate. Very slowly, but he continues to move upwards. Ian fires his weapon but it has no effect on him. He is bathed in a faint yellow glow that deflects Ian's shots.

"We have to stop him," the Doctor says to Rose. "The Jennets were so hostile to all other beings that they were encased within their system millions of years ago and eventually died out. The system has been empty ever since. If that's just now happening in this universe, they can't be allowed to escape. They'll cause death and destruction wherever they go."

"Control," Ian says sharply. "Do you copy that? Lock onto their ship. Don't let it get away."

"We have it, Ian. Backup team is approaching."

"Soon we will overrun you!" the alien shrieks. He is not even above their heads, floating so slowly it doesn't look like he's moving at all.

"You are ridiculous," the Doctor informs him. "You realize that, don't you?" He reaches up and grabs a small alien boot.

The alien growls and kicks his feet. "Release me!"

"You are not to continue on your mission. You will leave this planet and not return."

"We will destroy you and your world and cleanse it for our children!"

Rose shakes her head. "Honestly, this is an insult after everything I've just been through."

"They're locking on to your ship," the Doctor tells the Jennet. "Change your minds or it will be escorted from this planet's atmosphere without you."

"They will return for me!"

"If they do they will be shot on sight."

"Backup approaching!" a voice says in Rose and Ian's headsets. It is Riley, and she's wielding a long, slender weapon and looking very confused at the scene before her.

"This is Control. We have the ship in sight and have locked onto it with a tractor beam."

"What will it be?" the Doctor asks.

"Jennets do not negotiate with inferior races!"

Simon has come up behind Riley, holding an identical weapon. He shakes his head. "Is that an alien or a balloon?"

"We will kill you all!" the little alien vows, kicking out at the Doctor again.

"Stop that! You have to want to change," the Doctor tells him. "Otherwise the same fate will befall you again."

"Again? What again? What fate will befall us?"

"You will become extinct. You will destroy other words to the point that you will be hunted down and destroyed yourselves. That is the legacy you will leave to you children if you continue. Return to your system and resettle Malandra. I promise you the darkness is over. Your worlds should be stable and safe by the time you return to them."

"We will not," the alien grates out.

"Rose?" the Doctor calls.

"Control, lock onto the ship. Prepare to fire," Rose says.

"No! Do not. Do not."

"Return to your ship and leave our atmosphere," the Doctor tells him before releasing his ankle.

The alien glares but does not respond. He hits the patch on his vest and shoots higher up in the sky.

"Oi!" Rose yells. "Don't forget your pilot fish!"

The alien sneers at her, but a moment later the Ninob is suspended in midair.

"Control, release the ship from the tractor beam," Ian says.

"Done. Standing by for your command."

The two aliens are caught in a beam of light coming from a spaceship no one can see, and disappear.

"That was the strangest thing I've seen yet," Riley says.

"Will they be back, do you think?" Simon asks the Doctor.

"I don't know. Hope not."

"Well, that's a job well done, at any rate," Simon says briskly.

"I'll bet anything they were the disturbance we were chasing." Riley falls in step beside him.

"What the heck is a pilot fish?" Ian asks Rose.

Rose grins. "Control, job over. We're coming home."


	10. Chapter 9

"After a mission we get to come back to Torchwood and write up a report," Rose informs the Doctor. "There's a template to follow and everything."

They're in the jeep on the way back to the Institute, and Rose has remembered what usually comes next after a day in the field.

"Is there? What do you do with all the reports?"

"We email them, file them, make copies, send them to all the higher-ups and forget about them," Ian says. "Waste of time, really."

"Someone needs to have a record of what we see," Rose corrects him.

"'Someone', Rose. Fine. But writing reports is a bit much like school for me."

"Ian is a man of action," Rose says seriously.

"I hate to type when I could be doing something else. You'll see, Doctor. Soon enough they'll come after you and start demanding paperwork. The never ending paperwork."

The Doctor is playing with the tracking computer in the backseat. "Yes, paperwork," he says absently. "What does this computer connect to?"

"There's a satellite in the sky and towers all over London," Rose answers. "Don't break it."

Once they're back at Torchwood, Ian drops them off and heads off to return the jeep. "More paperwork there, Doctor, and heaven help you if you damage a vehicle in pursuit of saving the world."

Down in the basement office, Rose turns on her computer.

"It is best to start paperwork immediately," she tells the Doctor. "That way it's over with sooner."

He is amused by the tone of her voice. He can recall her telling him that he could find his feet at the end of his legs in that same tone.

"Is that funny?" she asks. "I don't think I meant it to be."

He smiles at her and settles in to watch over her shoulder. "Sorry. I was a few wars away back there."

She shoots him an odd look but apparently decides that he's all right.

"Dancing," he clarifies, but that clearly does not reassure her.

"Dancing. Right. So here's the template." Rose pulls it up and has a strange feeling of regret. Her Doctor is a man of action, isn't he? Paperwork is not what he should be doing. Also, she's not sure how accurate he can be.

He's watching her and notices that she's stopped. It's not hard to figure out what she may be thinking.

"I don't think they'll return. Jennets hate everyone, but they valued their home planet more."

"What?"

"I said they won't return. Isn't that what you were worried about?"

"No," she says in surprise. "You said they wouldn't."

He blinks. "And that's it? I said they won't, so you're not worried anymore?"

"No. Should I be?" She tilts her head and watches him over her shoulder.

"Uh, no. No." He's pleased that she thinks so highly of him as to accept his word on something, but she's always done that. Well, mostly always. But clearly his Rose-reading skills are not as sharp as they could be.

"So what's wrong, then?" he asks.

"Nothing's wrong. It's just...paperwork, yeah? Not something you've done before. Feels strange to have you sit at a computer and do stuff like that."

"Is that all? I've done that lots of times. I used to work for UNIT. I ever tell you that?"

Rose nods and turns all the way around in her chair to face him. He kicks back in his chair and looks thoughtful. "I was...stuck on Earth for a while once. Long time ago. Six, seven regenerations ago, as a matter of fact." He sees Rose's eyes widen and decides not to pursue the topic of regenerations past right then. "I worked for UNIT. No desk computers back then, by the way. Talk about paperwork."

"Why were you stuck on Earth?"

He shifts uncomfortably in the chair. "I was...exiled. I was exiled from my home for a while. Long time ago, as I said. I went to work for UNIT because they had the facilities that would allow me to repair my TARDIS."

Rose is silent, processing this. "You are just full of surprises," she says finally.

"You live a few centuries, it happens. But don't worry about me, Rose. Anything that happens to me here, it's because I want it to. I'm glad to be here."

She nods and turns back to her computer. "Okay, then. So you pull up the template and name your report with the date and label it either 'human' or 'alien', depending on what was dealt with. It used to be 'extraterrestrial', but no one wanted to type that all the time."

He listens to her explanations, but her question has forcibly reminded him of something. He is exiled, once again, on Earth. Instead of working at UNIT as a scientific advisor, he's here at Torchwood as a sort of alien hunter. His home planet will never call him back because it does not exist in this world. It doesn't not exist anywhere.

"Doctor?" Rose says. "You okay?"

He forces himself back to reality. He can leave whenever he chooses, even if he is limited to this one world and this one life. He has chosen to stay with Rose, and that is exactly what he will do, for as long as he is able to.

"Yes, I'm okay. Sorry."

"Right, then. So some reports are more detailed than others, obviously. Tell me again about that little one's planet? I don't think I caught it all."

The Doctor repeats the fate of the Malandra galaxy. Rose doesn't type as fast as he talks. No one could - he talks too fast and too much most of the time.

"Here, budge over," he says finally, after the fifth or sixth time she tells him, rather crossly, to slow down. Sitting in her chair, he starts to type out his comments. Rose watches in surprise.

"How are you typing so fast? I've never seen you type so quickly."

He rolls his eyes as he types. "Super temp! Donna typed 100 words a minute."

"You're not even looking at the keyboard," Rose marvels.

"I know!" He winks at her. "Come and sit on my lap like a proper secretary. We'll see how well I can type them."

"Dream on." But she kisses his cheek anyway. "I'll be right back, okay?"

She finds Riley turning in her weapon. All Torchwood employees carry a standard-issue gun when in the field. Anything larger and more powerful, like Riley's gun, get logged in and out of a secure storage room watched over by a guard.

"You all right?" Riley asks. "What a strange day."

"I know. Have you seen Simon anywhere?"

"We drove back in together. He was going to turn in the car and come up here."

"Here I am," Simon himself says from behind them. "What's up?"

"Just wanted a word," Rose says lightly.

"Just a sec." Simon hands in his own weapon, signing the paperwork that states he did not fire the weapon, drop or damage it, lend it to a third party, or have it out of his sight at any time.

"So what's up?" He turns to look questioningly at Rose. Riley sees the expression on Rose's face and folds her arms across her chest, settling in for something entertaining.

Rose continues to stare at Simon, her hands on her hips.

Simon rolls his eyes. "I was just making sure he's a decent bloke, Rose."

"You barged into my flat and made a nuisance of yourself this morning."

"Oh, Simon," Riley says in disappointment.

"I wasn't trying to embarrass you. How was I to know that you two were -"

"We weren't! And that's not the point, you dolt."

Simon takes a quick look up and down the hallway. The guard is in the gun room and no one else is about.

"When I met you," he says in a low voice meant not to carry down the corridors, "you were broken. I watched you get better, and then the darkness started, and the dimension cannon was finished, and I watched you disappear and come back, disappear and come back."

"You know why. It wasn't his choice to leave me here. I didn't choose to be stuck here without him. "

"I know. I know that the cannon was created at your urging because you wanted to go home to the Doctor. The darkness just changed your plans a bit. But we were afraid you'd fail. Or not come back."

"I knew what I was doing. I knew the Doctor long before I ever came here. I don't need you acting like an overbearing father."

Riley smothers a laugh. They both glance at her, surprised to find her standing there.

"If he's here now, then we all depend on him, Rose. I wanted to make sure I could trust him with our lives. Yes, I know your dad and Jake do. That's not enough for me when it's my life on the line."

"He's saved more worlds than you could imagine or ever hope to," Rose says evenly. "He's saved my Earth time and again. He's saved me, and protected me, and he's died for me, Simon. He died for me. Don't make me choose between him and anything else, because I will always choose him."

Riley's eyes are going back and forth between them.

"I trust you, Rose. You're my friend. I don't want you hurt."

"The Doctor will not hurt me. He will never hurt me. He will never fail me, and he will not fail any of you."

Simon nods. "Then we're good," he says briskly.

An awkward silence falls. Some people would hug, but they're not the kind to do so.

"I'm hungry," Riley says. "Simon?" She takes his arm and glances at Rose. "We'll just go get some lunch. Come with us?"

Rose starts to answer but Simon cuts her off.

"Go get Dr. Smith," he says. "He's entertaining enough. Has anyone told him about the meal plan yet?"

Riley rolls her eyes. "You mean the plan where we don't pay if we die?"

"It's an excellent feature, Riley."

"He does know about it, as a matter of fact," Rose says with a laugh. "We'll meet you down there."


	11. Chapter 10

The day ends without another alien invasion. Rose is clearing up her desk when the Doctor appears.

"You keep disappearing," she says in mild annoyance. "You won't wear your headset and you don't have a phone. How am I supposed to find you?"

"Were you looking for me?" He actually seems taken aback by this.

"What is wrong with you? Yes, I was looking for you. You had lunch and then took off."

"Sorry. I was revising my drawings."

"Of course. The sonic screwdriver."

"I don't care much for the headset," the Doctor confesses as they head to Rose's car.

"You're going to have to start, Doctor. Or at the very least carry a mobile."

He makes a face. "Trappings of civilization."

"You're human now. It could save your life."

"Don't remind me."

Rose decides to overlook his current mood.

"Today was fun, yeah?" she asks, driving home. "Aliens, talking them into leaving. Cheeseburgers for lunch."

He laughs. "Lunch was the best part."

"We haven't got any food at home. Do you want to stop and shop or get take away?"

"Oh, take away, definitely."

They counter their way through Italian, Greek, and Indian before choosing Chinese. They bring home two bags filled with Kung Pao chicken, General Tsao's Chicken, lo mein noodles, wonton and hot and sour soups, and enough fortune cookies to satisfy even the Doctor's sweet tooth.

"I haven't had Chinese in ages," Rose says when they've finished eating. The kitchen table is littered with small white boxes and several bottles of water. Tiny strips of paper float around as they open up the fortune cookies. The Doctor solemnly reads each one before tossing it aside and eating the cookie. Rose doesn't read the fortunes, only nibbles on a cookie while she watches him.

He's rolled up the sleeves of his pale blue shirt, and it's still a bit of a shock to see him without a suit coat and tie. She's rather pleased to think that she chose everything he's wearing.

"You're going to get sick if you keep going," she says.

"Mmm," he agrees, chewing the last cookie. "These are excellent! I was on an Asian planet not too long ago, and they had nothing resembling a fortune cookie."

"Asian planet?"

"Like a giant Chinatown."

Rose smiles wistfully. "Sounds like fun."

"It was, until-" The Doctor breaks off and takes a drink of water.

"Until..." Rose prompts him.

He rubs the back of his neck. "Until Donna ended up with a beetle on her back that tried to alter the course of her life."

"The beetle," Rose murmurs. "On her back. It came from there? Who did that to her?"

"Luckily she fell in with you," the Doctor says, standing up and clearing some of the boxes away. "Are you going to help, or are you just going to sit there?"

Rose slowly stands up. "No, I'll help."

She will not push him, she tells herself. He'd lost so much even before he ever met her, and more since they'd been separated. If it takes him time to talk to her about some things, well, she'll wait. They're not going anywhere.

She finds a packet of mints the restaurant included with their meal and offers him one. They chew companionably for a moment, until the Doctor realizes something is off.

"I thought this was candy?"

Rose chews thoughtfully for a moment longer. "Oh, yeah. This is cherry-coconut. Candy is a bit different here, I'm afraid."

"It tastes like sunscreen mated with cough syrup."

She laughs, and any awkwardness she felt around him just now is gone. "It does, at that."

"Well, since we've eaten them." He moves to her and takes her hands. "May I kiss you?" he asks politely. "I'm testing a new brand of mint."

"So then this is strictly a research kiss."

He smiles down at her. "If you like."

She pretends to consider before wrapping her arms around his neck.

He kisses her before she can reply.

When she breaks away the top buttons of his shirt are undone. She's run her hands through his hair and he's pulled her shirt out of her jeans.

"Nice candy," she says breathlessly.

"Yes," he agrees, breathing just as hard.

Their eyes meet again, and they start to laugh. He gives her a hug that lifts her off her feet. She squeezes him back.

"I've missed you," she whispers into his neck.

Once the kitchen is cleared up Rose runs down to get the mail. She is stopped by a neighbor who is collecting signatures to protest a new traffic light on the corner. Rose finally signs her name just to be done with the conversation and gratefully heads back inside.

When she returns the Doctor is standing by the sink, absently chewing on a pencil.

"You all right?" she asks.

He starts and looks over at her. "Yeah. Just working something out."

She smiles. "You sure the screwdriver isn't more trouble than it's worth?"

"Rose, please."

"A good digital blaster may come in handy someday," she points out.

"Some people may require squareness guns, but I'm not among them," he informs her. "As soon as I compensate for having to use human materials I will be up and running."

"If you say so."

"I say so."

Rose sets the mail on the counter and is about to make comment about how domestic things are getting between them when she catches sight of a large white envelope.

"Doctor, what's in this envelope? You've been carrying it around everywhere today."

"Only because I had no place to put it. It's all the stuff that makes me officially me."

"Yeah? Let's see." Curious, Rose sits down at the table and unseals the packet. She picks up the drivers license. "You don't...you don't drive. Do you?"

"Not for a while now, but I know how." She doesn't reply, and he finds himself getting defensive. "What?"

Rose is silent. The number of times he's landed them wrong in the TARDIS ...

He's not an idiot - he knows what she's about to say. He scowls. "Driving a car is not like piloting the TARDIS. A car is a human construct, and therefore, much simpler to operate."

She raises her eyebrows, amused.

"Hmm, possibly that proves your point."

"Oh, there's no 'possibly' about it," she assures him.

"Okay, I know what you're going to say. Cardiff, 1869. Right. Well, that was a slight error, but we stopped the Gelth! And met Charles Dickens."

"You brought me home a year late. A _year_. I'm still not sure how old I'm supposed to be."

"Well. That was...more than a slight error," he concedes.

"Queen's Coronation, 1953? London instead of New York City?"

"Yes. That wasn't the most fun we've- but we saw the coronation!"

"_I_ didn't," Rose says darkly. "Since I couldn't _see _anything."

"We saw Elvis afterwards," he says in his own defense.

"And what about Scotland, 1869? We wouldn't even be sitting here if it weren't for that one."

As soon as Rose has said those words, she wishes them back. She stares at the Doctor with wide, frightened eyes, but he only nods and sits down next to her.

"Everything led up from there, didn't it? Good Queen Victoria, determined to keep those unnatural forces at bay. If we hadn't been there, the Torchwood Institute might not have been created."

"We'd still be running around the universe."

He rests his elbows on the table and leans his chin on his hand. "That I don't know, Rose. Maybe the Cybermen would still have broken through from here. Maybe it would have been worse than it was."

"Sometimes thinking about what might have happened is worse than reality," Rose says quietly. "But we're here now, yeah?"

"Yeah. Wouldn't have missed this for the world."

"Liar."

"Am not!"

"I didn't understand," Rose says abruptly. "Before. I knew you were an alien, but it was so hard to believe. I used to forget that you weren't human," she confesses. "I'd pretend that the TARDIS was the only thing alien about you. That you were as young as you looked, that we could be forever together. I meant forever," she says heatedly. "I did. You always knew it was a lie."

"It wasn't a lie, Rose."

"But your forever and mine weren't the same, were they? You always understood," Rose continues. "You tried to tell me so after we met Sarah Jane, remember? You tried to warn me, she tried to warn me. I kept thinking that nothing would change, but you always knew things would. Didn't you?"

He doesn't flinch from her gaze. "I always knew," he says quietly.

"I was going to stay with you forever and never stop traveling. But it would have ended when I died, and you would have kept on going, just like you said you would, and I never could admit that to myself. I never wanted to accept the truth. Stupid Earth girl, thinking she could live forever."

"Rose-"

"Maybe I knew it was a lie, too," she says softly.

"I wanted to believe it," the Doctor says. "Yes, I knew it was a lie, but I pretended it was true. Torchwood showed me how false that belief was, Rose. I had to see you safe with your family. I had to know that you were safe and happy."

"I wasn't happy."

"I'm sorry, but it was all I could do. You would have left me eventually. This way- Well, I tried."

"You have a bad habit of making decisions for me. Maybe you could stop doing that now that you're here."

He moves quickly, getting up from his chair and pulling her up to stand with him.

"We have this, Rose. This is our forever. I'm not an alien, I'm half human. We can grow old together, have a real life together, a proper life."

"Walls and carpets and a mortgage?" she asks skeptically. "Last time those things came up you jumped into a big dark pit to avoid them."

"Oi. That's not why I jumped. I'm here, Rose. I'm not leaving. A house and a mortgage and a job to go to every day. I want those things. I want them with you."

"Really?"

"Don't you?"

You never wanted them before," she says carefully, "so I never thought about them. You would never stop traveling so I didn't let myself think about a normal life."

"And now that I've stopped?"

She swallows hard. "A normal life. We've never had that before."

"An adventure in itself," he agrees.

She laughs. "Yeah, it will be."


	12. Chapter 11

Rose starts to put the papers back in their envelope. The Doctor reaches over her shoulder.

"I don't even know what they say." He picks up a piece of paper at random. "Ooh, nice. I have a doctorate in theoretical physics."

"I'm impressed."

He puts that paper down and picks up another one. "Birth certificate. At last, I have a..." He stops talking and slowly puts it back on the table.

"What is it?" Rose asks. "What's wrong?" His face is suddenly dark

with an emotion she can't quite place.

He only shakes his head and walks away from the table.

More puzzled than worried, Rose looks at the birth certificate.

"'John Smith'," she reads. "Well, that's not exactly a surprise, is it? You've always been fond of that name.'Father's name, John Smith'. How sweet. Dad's made you a junior. 'Mother's name, Donna Noble'." She stops and presses her lips together.

Oh. Looks like Pete was really paying attention when they told him all about saving the universe.

"I don't think Donna would appreciate being called your mother," she says finally.

He shakes his head. "She'd bloody kill me. Rip apart whoever suggested it with her bare hands. And then stomp on the body."

"Still, you came from her. She's not here but it's a nice reminder, isn't it? I mean, it's not so bad," she continues when he doesn't say anything. "She's your friend, it's a fun little-"

"No, it's not." He walks to the doorway, where he stands still, looking into the living room.

Rose frowns. Something is not right. Something is wrong.

"Doctor?"

He rubs his face with his hands.

"Doctor, what is it? What aren't you telling me?" Rose stands up and walks over to him.

"There's nothing that I'm not telling you."

"It's Donna," Rose says with quiet certainty. "Every time we mention Donna, something happens. You, you stop. I know you were friends. I know you must miss her -"

"Stop. Rose. Just stop." He runs his hand through his hair.

"Something is wrong. What _is_ it?" she demands.

He swallows hard and looks away.

"Doctor?" Rose puts her hand on his arm.

"She's gone, Rose. Donna's gone."

"I know, but that doesn't mean we need to stop talking about her."

"No. I mean she's gone. There's never been a human-Time Lord biological metacrisis before."

"Right. That's what you said in the TARDIS after it happened."

"The human brain can't handle all that Time Lord information. It's not...the body isn't capable of it."

Rose tries to control her temper. Can't he just come out and say what's wrong? Usually he's chattering away like a magpie. "_And_?"

"Donna couldn't survive with Time Lord information in her head. It would kill her, burn out her brain as it tried to process everything."

"What?" Rose whispers in horror. "Are you saying that Donna is dead?"

"No! No. I mean, I don't know - I can't know for sure. But I don't think so." He swallows again and looks pleadingly at Rose, begging her for something, but she doesn't understand what it is.

"Then what?" Rose is bewildered. "What's happened to her?"

"I think he's done what I would do. In order to allow her survival, he would have to wipe her memory of everything connected to him. To a Time Lord." He closes his eyes, absolutely miserable. He knows this is what happened, knows it as surely as if he were the one who did it.

"Wipe her memory?" Rose repeats. "How is that possible?"

"It's possible," he says curtly. "Wipe out all traces of memory, anything to do with the Doctor, or time travel, basically this time she spent with me, all of it."

"But that's terrible." Rose is in tears. "That's erasing her life, erasing everything! It's not fair!"

"If that doesn't happen she'll die."

"All that she did for you! She stopped you! She saved you! Everything that I did here - creating the technology, jumping across parallel worlds, looking for you, finding Donna every time I needed to - it was for _nothing_?"

"No! Not for nothing, Rose. We saved the universe, remember?"

"_She_ saved the universe! She turned left instead of right and she stopped you! I was there, I made her see it had to be done! All my work, to get Bad Wolf to Donna to change the world and keep you alive. And now she's dead?"

"She's not dead!" the Doctor shouts. "She's not dead. She'll be the same as she was before she met me."

Rose is openly crying now, devastated by this as she hasn't been devastated by so many other things. "It's not fair! She was brilliant!"

"I'm sorry."

"You came from her. If she hadn't been in the TARDIS you wouldn't even be here!"

"I know."

"Everything I did." Rose is repeating herself but she doesn't care. "Gone." A thought occurs to her, and it's a stabbing pain in her chest.

"That means he's alone again."

The silence is so sharp she thinks it could cut her. Slice open her heart and make her bleed. He doesn't move, doesn't breathe. His eyes are on her, measuring her, wondering when she will forget about that other man. The man that stands between them even now.

Rose wonders when she will forget, too.

Finally he answers, breaking the eye contact.

"Yeah. He's alone."

"Is he okay?" she demands. "He lost me and Donna - will he do something stupid? That's what happened - in the world where I found Donna. You fought the Racnoss, and you drowned, you died. You didn't regenerate."

"I didn't particularly want to go on, after Canary Wharf," he admits quietly.

He is so not helping, and he's really, _really_ missing the point.

"What if something happens? What if he does something or something happens to him and he doesn't -"

"Rose," he interrupts. "He won't. He'll go on because that's what he's always done."

"In that world you didn't. You chose to die instead."

They stand there, deadlocked. Stalemate. They can go round and round for the rest of their lives, and the truth will still not change.

Rose wipes the tears from her face. "We'll never know. We'll never know where he is or what he does, and he'll never know what we do, and we'll still be trapped here."

"We're here. Whether or not we're trapped...that's for us to decide, no one else. Isn't it?"

She is silent, tears still running down her face.

"Are you, Rose? Are you trapped here, just like before?"

She can't nod, can't shake her head no, she can only wrap her arms tightly around herself and try not to shake where she stands.

"If you still feel that way-" he swallows hard. "I love you. I won't ever leave you. But I won't stay around waiting for you."

"So you'd just...you'd just leave me?"

"I'm not leaving you, Rose. I'm just not staying with someone who doesn't want me. You'll always know how to find me. I thought this could work, but it's not, and I'm not going to fill in for someone who's not here."

"Don't you dare," she says fiercely, grabbing hold of his shirt. "Don't you dare leave me."

His eyes burn just as fiercely as he looks at her. "Then give me a reason to stay."


	13. Chapter 12

"_I'm not leaving you, Rose. I'm just not staying with someone who doesn't want me. You'll always know how to find me. I thought this could work, but it's not, and I'm not going to fill in for someone who's not here."_

_ "Don't you dare," she says fiercely, grabbing hold of his shirt. "Don't you dare leave me."_

_ His eyes burn just as fiercely as he looks at her. "Then give me a reason to stay."_

-o0o-

She pulls his head down and kisses him, hard. It's not the same as the other kisses she's given him. It's almost desperate, but it's open and responsive and for the first time it really feels like it's Rose he's holding in his arms.

He pulls back to say something, but she forces his mouth back to hers.

"It's you I want," she says, eyes huge and dark in her face. "You. No one else. There's no one else here."

"Rose-"

"You're not the same man. You're different - I see that all the time. And I'm glad we never did this before because now it's just you and me."

Somehow they've backed into the couch. It's as good a place as any and Rose tips back and falls onto the cushions. He lands on top of her, bracing himself on his elbows so he doesn't crush her.

He's kissing her, his hands in her hair. She struggles with his shirt and manages to undo the buttons and yank it off of him. She's working on the t-shirt when her mobile phone rings. Her head turns toward the sound instinctively.

"Leave it!" he gasps.

"Okay," she says, kissing him back.

He's almost pulled off Rose's blouse when the telephone starts ringing in the kitchen.

"Leave it, leave it," he mutters again, kissing her neck.

Rose groans, her hips arching up against his. He gives up on the blouse and runs his hand underneath it. She's kissing his hair, his neck, his jaw, until she finds his mouth again. She holds his head in place against hers, fingers threading through his hair.

When they stop to breathe the phone has stopped ringing. He leans up and away from her, starts to unbutton his shirt. Jackie Tyler's voice booms through the room, startling them both.

"What the -" The Doctor's curse is interrupted by Rose.

"Mum!"

"Give me a ring when you get in, sweetheart, it's not like you to not answer your phone."

Rose breathes out in relief. "Answering machine."

"Your mother would..." The Doctor loses his train of thought as Rose sits off and strips off her shirt. She's wearing a tank top underneath and her bra straps are falling down her arms. She looks at him expectantly. When he doesn't respond she laughs and pulls him down to her again.

"Never mind about my mother," she whispers in his ear.

"To hell with your mother," he agrees. He's kissing her again and manages to get her top off. Rose moans into his mouth and he tries to move and bumps into the couch cushions. Her arms are wrapped tightly around his neck as she kisses him for all she is worth, as though she has years of lost kisses to make up for.

Putting out his arm, he finds the floor with his hand, supports himself, and pulls them both down off of the couch. She lands on top of him.

"Is this it?" she says, sitting up, her legs straddling his hips. "You and me? Right now, no interruptions?"

"If we are interrupted now I will die," he says, very sincerely.

She nods. "Right answer." She finishes undoing his shirt and tosses it aside. His t-shirt is quickly dispatched as well. "You always give me the right answer."

"I always will, Rose."

She kisses him again, hard. He kisses her back even harder.

"Stop," she manages to whisper. "Stop. Come here."

"I am right here," he says, but she ignores him to unfasten his trousers.

"No," he says, rolling her onto her back. He hesitates above her, arms straining to hold him.

"Rose?"

"Yes," she says. "Please."

-o0o-

Talk about a whirlwind. Rose looks up at the ceiling, waiting for her breathing to return to normal. Her mind is a blank. A feeling of contentment rises up within her, like nothing she's ever felt before.

"Rose," he whispers.

"Hello."

"Being human is not a bad thing." He kisses her shoulder. "I may not even mind the dying."

"Not tonight, I hope."

-o0o-

They get up off the floor and drag themselves to Rose's bedroom. He throws himself onto the bed with a groan.

"Fantastic," he murmurs. "That was fantastic." He suddenly bolts upright before Rose can respond or join him.

"I am a human male."

"Half human," she can't help correcting him.

"You are a human female." Rose's snarky response dies unsaid when he continues. "This is how humans procreate. Have we - can we - could this -"

The combination of dismay and hopefulness on his face makes her smile. "This is how tiny human babies are made. You're sure you're human now?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Honestly, Rose-"

""Then we'd better pick out a name," she informs him. "Do you have preferences?"

"I- no, I mean, that is-" his stammering comes to a halt when he notices her smirk.

"You are a bad woman, Rose Tyler."

She doesn't even feel bad for laughing. "Do you really think Jackie Tyler's daughter would ever be in a position like this?"

"Jackie Tyler's daughter? A daughter who's only theoretical and therefore not you? Oh, absolutely."

"Shut up. There's no danger of a pregnancy right now."

He looks up at her but she doesn't elaborate. Intimacy does not mean he needs to know the ins and outs of her birth control of choice at this very moment.

"Right now?" he repeats.

"Yeah. I mean, it's possible, of course. Some day. Far in the future, I mean. If we were to want such a, a, a thing like that. Some day."

"Oh. Well, then. Good. Someday, that would be, um, rather nice to, well." He stares at the floor a moment and then smiles at her. "Since there's nothing to worry about..." He offers her his hand. She smiles despite herself and takes it, letting him pull her onto the bed and easing up against him.

-o0o-

Later she hears him draw a breath to speak, but he doesn't say anything.

Rose rises up on her elbow, amazed that she still strength left to do so. "The word 'wow' comes to mind for me. How about you?"

"That would sum it up quite nicely," he agrees.

-o0o-

Rose takes a shower before she gets ready for bed. He declines her suggestion of taking a shower together - "I've only just started doing this. A third time might kill me dead." - but doesn't object to watching her as he cleans up and puts on clean clothes himself.

The Doctor is mostly asleep by the time she comes to bed. Rose slides under the covers. His weight brings the mattress down a bit and tips her over towards him. She moves the rest of the way to him, angling herself until she's curved against him, her back to his chest. He is solid and warm and the feel of him against her is incredibly comforting. His arm slides around her waist, holding her close to him. He makes a small sound in his throat as her damp hair brushes his face.

"Goodnight," she whispers, not sure if he can even hear her. She wraps her arm around his, twining their fingers together.

"Rose," he murmurs, in a voice so low it barely reaches her ears. "I love you."


	14. Chapter 13

"_I'm not leaving you, Rose. I'm just not staying with someone who doesn't want me. You'll always know how to find me. I thought this could work, but it's not, and I'm not going to fill in for someone who's not here."_

_ "Don't you dare," she says fiercely, grabbing hold of his shirt. "Don't you dare leave me."_

_ His eyes burn just as fiercely as he looks at her. "Then give me a reason to stay."_

* * *

She pulls his head down and kisses him, hard. It's not the same as the other kisses she's given him. It's almost desperate, but it's open and responsive and for the first time it really feels like it's Rose he's holding in his arms.

He pulls back to say something, but she forces his mouth back to hers.

"It's you I want," she says, eyes huge and dark in her face. "You. No one else. There's no one else here."

"Rose-"

"You're not the same man. You're different - I see that all the time. And I'm glad we never did this before because now it's just you and me."

Somehow they've backed into the couch. It's as good a place as any and Rose tips back and falls onto the cushions. He lands on top of her, bracing himself on his elbows so he doesn't crush her.

He's kissing her, his hands in her hair. She struggles with his shirt and manages to undo the buttons and yank it off of him. She's working on the t-shirt when her mobile phone rings. Her head turns toward the sound instinctively.

"Leave it!" he gasps.

"Okay," she says, kissing him back.

He's almost pulled off Rose's blouse when the telephone starts ringing in the kitchen.

"Leave it, leave it," he mutters again, kissing her neck.

Rose groans, her hips arching up against his. He gives up on the blouse and runs his hand underneath it. She's kissing his hair, his neck, his jaw, until she finds his mouth again. She holds his head in place against hers, fingers threading through his hair.

When they stop to breathe the phone has stopped ringing. He leans up and away from her, starts to unbutton his shirt. Jackie Tyler's voice booms through the room, startling them both.

"What the -" The Doctor's curse is interrupted by Rose.

"Mum!"

"Give me a ring when you get in, sweetheart, it's not like you to not answer your phone."

Rose breathes out in relief. "Answering machine."

"Your mother would..." The Doctor loses his train of thought as Rose sits off and strips off her shirt. She's wearing a tank top underneath and her bra straps are falling down her arms. She looks at him expectantly. When he doesn't respond she laughs and pulls him down to her again.

"Never mind about my mother," she whispers in his ear.

"To hell with your mother," he agrees. He's kissing her again and manages to get her top off. Rose moans into his mouth and he tries to move and bumps into the couch cushions. Her arms are wrapped tightly around his neck as she kisses him for all she is worth, as though she has years of lost kisses to make up for.

Putting out his arm, he finds the floor with his hand, supports himself, and pulls them both down off of the couch. She lands on top of him.

"Is this it?" she says, sitting up, her legs straddling his hips. "You and me? Right now, no interruptions?"

"If we are interrupted now I will die," he says, very sincerely.

She nods. "Right answer." She finishes undoing his shirt and tosses it aside. His t-shirt is quickly dispatched as well. "You always give me the right answer."

"I always will, Rose."

She kisses him again, hard. He kisses her back even harder.

"Stop," she manages to whisper. "Stop. Come here."

"I am right here," he says, but she ignores him to unfasten his trousers.

"No," he says, rolling her onto her back. He hesitates above her, arms straining to hold him.

"Rose?"

"Yes," she says. "Please."

* * *

Talk about a whirlwind. Rose looks up at the ceiling, waiting for her breathing to return to normal. Her mind is a blank. A feeling of contentment rises up within her, like nothing she's ever felt before.

"Rose," he whispers.

"Hello."

"Being human is not a bad thing." He kisses her shoulder. "I may not even mind the dying."

"Not tonight, I hope."

* * *

They get up off the floor and drag themselves to Rose's bedroom. He throws himself onto the bed with a groan.

"Fantastic," he murmurs. "That was fantastic." He suddenly bolts upright before Rose can respond or join him.

"I am a human male."

"Half human," she can't help correcting him.

"You are a human female." Rose's snarky response dies unsaid when he continues. "This is how humans procreate. Have we - can we - could this -"

The combination of dismay and hopefulness on his face makes her smile. "This is how tiny human babies are made. You're sure you're human now?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Honestly, Rose-"

""Then we'd better pick out a name," she informs him. "Do you have preferences?"

"I- no, I mean, that is-" his stammering comes to a halt when he notices her smirk.

"You are a bad woman, Rose Tyler."

She doesn't even feel bad for laughing. "Do you really think Jackie Tyler's daughter would ever be in a position like this?"

"Jackie Tyler's daughter? A daughter who's only theoretical and therefore not you? Oh, absolutely."

"Shut up. There's no danger of a pregnancy right now."

He looks up at her but she doesn't elaborate. Intimacy does not mean he needs to know the ins and outs of her birth control of choice at this very moment.

"Right now?" he repeats.

"Yeah. I mean, it's possible, of course. Some day. Far in the future, I mean. If we were to want such a, a, a thing like that. Some day."

"Oh. Well, then. Good. Someday, that would be, um, rather nice to, well." He stares at the floor a moment and then smiles at her. "Since there's nothing to worry about..." He offers her his hand. She smiles despite herself and takes it, letting him pull her onto the bed and easing up against him.

* * *

Later she hears him draw a breath to speak, but he doesn't say anything.

Rose rises up on her elbow, amazed that she still strength left to do so. "The word 'wow' comes to mind for me. How about you?"

"That would sum it up quite nicely," he agrees.

* * *

Rose takes a shower before she gets ready for bed. He declines her suggestion of taking a shower together - "I've only just started doing this. A third time might kill me dead." - but doesn't object to watching her as he cleans up and puts on clean clothes himself.

The Doctor is mostly asleep by the time she comes to bed. Rose slides under the covers. His weight brings the mattress down a bit and tips her over towards him. She moves the rest of the way to him, angling herself until she's curved against him, her back to his chest. He is solid and warm and the feel of him against her is incredibly comforting. His arm slides around her waist, holding her close to him. He makes a small sound in his throat as her damp hair brushes his face.

"Goodnight," she whispers, not sure if he can even hear her. She wraps her arm around his, twining their fingers together.

"Rose," he murmurs, in a voice so low it barely reaches her ears. "I love you."


	15. Chapter 14

Jackie calls the next morning while Rose is getting dressed.

"Where were you?" her mother demands. "I kept calling and you weren't answering your mobile. You had me worried to death."

Rose makes a face that her mother can't see, luckily. "We went out to dinner, and then we got home kind of late. I don't think I heard the phone ring." She knows she definitely did not after Jackie's first phone call, because Rose unplugged the phone herself.

"And your mobile? You always have it with you."

"I forgot to charge it," Rose lies.

"Well. Long as I know you're all right. How are you?"

"I'm fine, Mum. Just getting ready for work."

"How's himself?"

"Getting ready for work, too," Rose says cheerfully. Himself is actually sitting on her bed, drawing more diagrams of his sonic screwdriver. His hair is perfectly styled and he's wearing boxers and a t-shirt and his glasses. Rose contemplates hanging up and maybe being late for work.

"Good. Come round for dinner tonight."

Rose forgets her plans for being late. "What? Dinner? No, Mum."

"Why not?" Jackie asks indignantly.

"Mum. I haven't got any food in the house. I have to go shopping."

"Well, come and eat here. You won't have to go out tonight."

"I'll only have to go out tomorrow, then."

"Tony would like to see you, is all," Jackie continues.

Ouch. Right through the heart. Rose sighs. "Tell him we'll come by this week sometime, okay?"

"All right. I'll see you soon, sweetheart. Love you."

"Love you, too." Rose hangs up the phone and shudders.

"What'd your mum want?" he asks, not looking up from his notebook.

"She wants us to go over for dinner."

That makes him look up. "What - tonight?"

Rose can't help but laugh at his evident dismay. "No, not tonight. I told her sometime soon."

He looks slightly mollified, but the prospect of dinner with Jackie never was very high on his list of fun things to do.

"Aren't you done with that yet?" Rose asks, slipping on a pair of dark trousers and going over to lean over his shoulder.

"Hard to find the right material," he explains. "I have some leads, though." He turns his head and kisses her.

"Marvelous." Rose buttons up a white blouse and puts on a pair of silver earrings. "You going to get dressed today?"

He's still drawing. "Absolutely."

"So we can leave soon?"

"We haven't eaten yet."

"We have no food. Come on or we won't have time to get something on the way."

He takes of his glasses and squints at her. "Fast food again? We can't keep up this kind of lifestyle."

"What 'lifestyle'? I'm stopping for a coffee and a roll."

* * *

In the end Rose throws his clothing at him and snatches the notebook away so he'll get dressed. He obediently puts on dark jeans and a pale blue shirt. As he's buttoning it up, he looks over at Rose, who is watching him with great interest.

"Is it me, or are most of my clothes blue?"

She shrugs. "I like you in blue. Except for that suit."

He has his white sneakers, so he's happy. Rose tosses him his jacket and he stuffs his notebook in one of the pockets.

"I need a wallet," he says suddenly. "All of these little laminated cards to carry around. I'll lose one and then be in all kinds of trouble."

"We'll get you one," Rose says as she starts her car. "Just stick them in your pocket."

They stop to get her coffee and roll. The Doctor opts for a Vitex and a cinnamon bun the size of a dinner plate.

"I don't know how you can eat all of that," Rose says as they drive to work.

"Mmm, me neither. It was all I could do to keep from asking for a tea and a digestive biscuit." He takes a large bite of the bun in satisfaction. "That's the Donna coming out, and I intend to stamp it down."

He doesn't flinch from the name, and Rose reflects that it's a good thing they had that conversation last night. That's one thing that he won't have to feel guilt over. He will anyway, of course, but he doesn't need to.

She catches him looking over at her. "What?"

He smiles. "Nothing."

She can't help smiling back at him. "New adventure," she reminds him. "Day one."

"Day one," he agrees, and takes a swig of Vitex. He almost spits it back out. "Blimey, this is awful stuff!"

Rose glances at the bottle. "That's Cherry-Lite. Dad's biggest seller."

"It's disgusting!"

"Don't ever say that to my dad," she warns.

He grabs her coffee to wash the taste out of his mouth. "Awful," he mutters.

* * *

The Doctor sits at Rose's desk to finish his breakfast. He threw the Vitex away in the lobby and bought a Coke from a vending machine.

"Nothing going on this morning," Simon announces from his desk. "No alien blips or beeps on the radar. No suspicious activity. Just a dull day." He sighs.

"We'll get through the day somehow," Rose assures him. "Can I have my desk back?" she asks the Doctor.

He slides back in her chair, giving her access to the computer.

She frowns at him as she pulls over another chair.

"What are you doing down here, John?" Simon asks. "Surely you've got some fancy lab upstairs somewhere?"

The Doctor is taking a drink of Coke and doesn't answer. Rose nudges his foot with hers.

"What?" he asks, looking at her in confusion.

"I asked where your lab is," Simon says again.

Now the Doctor looks mystified. "I haven't got a lab. Do I need one?"

Rose's mobile phone rings then, and it's her dad on the other line.

"Hey, Dad. If this is about dinner tonight -"

"What? No. Have the Doctor come up here when he's free, will you? Thanks, love."

"My dad wants to see you," Rose says.

"Ah. My lab awaits, clearly."

"Make sure it's one with a view," Simon responds.

The Doctor stands and looks expectantly at Rose. "Come on, then."

"Do you need me to come?" she asks with a smile.

"You're my plus one," he counters.

They leave their jackets in the office and catch the elevator up to Pete's office.

"Don't mention that I hate Vitex," the Doctor murmurs in Rose's ear.

"My lips are sealed," she promises. "Remember to answer if someone calls you Doctor Smith. Or John."

"Please, I'm a professional. I'm aware of my alias."

"You weren't paying attention when Simon spoke to you just now."

"He doesn't count." The Doctor opens the door to Pete's office for Rose and waits for her to enter. They pass by Pete's secretary and into his inner office.

"Good morning," Pete says. They're alone so he gives Rose a kiss.

"Morning, Pete."

"I've got your security clearance here," Pete tells the Doctor. "High-level. It's coded on your security pass. And I have a headset for you."

The Doctor holds the headset in his hand. It's identical to the one Rose wore when they were dealing with the Jennet the other day. He's seen countless other Torchwood personnel wearing them hooked over an ear. Still, he raises an eyebrow at Pete.

"Yeah, I know. But this is merely a headset. It lets us stay in contact with you, which can be vital in the field."

"The last time I saw these things it did not bode well for the general population."

"It goes over your ear, not into your brain, " Pete says in annoyance. "You can remove it whenever you like, and the only information that passes through it is when you connect to Control in the field. Or through your field team."

"Thanks," the Doctor says briefly, and sticks it in his pocket.

"And a mobile phone!" Rose says cheerfully. "Now we can always find you." She hands him the small black phone and he sighs.

"You work for Torchwood now, Doctor," Pete says. "We need to know where you are."

The Doctor pockets the phone as well.

"I'll show you how to use it later," Rose promises.

"What - I know how to use a phone!" he says in annoyance.

"Of course you do," she assures him.

"I know you're working on some projects, so we found a lab for you." Pete now hands him a key.

"Okay. Thank you."

"See you, Dad."

"You bet."

The Doctor inspects the key Pete's given him. "Where is this lab, anyway?"

"Down here." Rose leads him down to a familiar - looking floor. At least, it seems familiar. Most of Torchwood's hallways are all identical, making it hard to tell where you are sometimes.

Rose comes to a stop at a closed door. "Here we are."

There is music coming from the door across the hallway. The Doctor turns in that direction. "I know that song." He peers in through the door, which is standing partially open. "That's Anna's development lab."

"Perfect. Since you're supposedly developing things for Torchwood."

He unlocks the door and steps inside, switching on the light. The lab is shiny and white, like the rest of Torchwood, with a workstation at one end holding a computer. Equipment is scattered along the sides, most of which doesn't look familiar to Rose. There's a small window on one wall that lets in some sunlight.

The Doctor looks around with a critical eye. "Not bad. Could be worse." He empties his pocket onto the nearest table, spilling several pencils, his notebook, drivers license and his new phone and headset out in the process.

"I've seen smaller," Rose agrees.

He licks his lips as he surveys the room. "Still. It's not..." His voice trails off and he doesn't continue.

She steps over to him and takes his hand. "Not even close. Can you live with that?"

Now he looks down at her, smoothing her hair back from her face with his free hand.

"Rose. Of course I can."

"Sure?"

"No," he says with a grin. "But it's what I've got." He leans down to give her a kiss. "It's what I want."

"Are we still talking about this lab?"

He laughs and holds her close. "I love you."

"Quite right, too," she says seriously, and has the guilty satisfaction of seeing him jerk back, eyes narrowed on her face.

She grins in a way he hasn't seen in far too long, with her tongue between her teeth. "You could have said it, you know, back on the beach that first time."

He kisses her again. "I'm saying it now."

"That's true. I love you, too," she whispers, for his ears alone.

She's starting to understand that more was divided than just the Doctor himself. Her feelings for these men remain the same, but already she senses that the man who's holding her tightly will win out. His kisses, his love, the life they can now build together. All of that will overshadow the traveling and the adventures they once had. As the years go on the Doctor in his TARDIS will become a beloved memory, and the Doctor here in his lab will be the reality she measures her life against.

He kisses her forehead and draws away, walking around the room but pulling her behind him by her hand.

"Not bad. Plenty of room. Not sure what I'm meant to do in here, but I can certainly reconstruct my sonic screwdriver."

"Can you?"

"Oh, the skepticism in your voice! Of course I can. Probably. Hopefully," he amends finally.

"I'm sure you can," Rose says loyally, though she hasn't the slightest idea of how he's going to do it.

He looks over the equipment, muttering to himself on occasion. Rose is content to stand and watch in amusement as he alternately abuses the arcane human tools and admires the bits of alien tech he comes across.

Her phone rings, and she answers it to find Riley on the other end. She's been tagged for a field mission and is leaving with SImon.

"Ian's nowhere to be found," Riley complains, "so I'm going instead. Honestly. He's probably still in bed."

"Do you want me to come?"

"Stay put, they said. In case something else turns up they've got you and the Doctor in reserve. But if you see Ian, tell him off for me."

"Okay. Bye! Bring me back a nice alien."

The Doctor looks up. "Are there aliens? Shall we go?" He sounds pretty eager about the idea.

Rose laughs. "We're up next."

"Excellent. What kind of computer system -" The Doctor stops mid-question as his headset starts to beep. A second later, Rose's headset beeps as well. She pulls it out of her pocket and hooks it on.

"Rose Tyler," she says.

"Rose, this is Control. We have a situation."

The Doctor is holding his headset but has not put it on. Clearly he is not ready to forget the Cybermen.

Well. She's done so and is still living to tell the tale.

She raises her eyebrows and gestures to the door. "More fun and games. Are you ready?"

He scoops up his phone and headset and little laminated cards and holds out his hand.

"Is there trouble?"

"Oh, yeah."

They grin at each other like fools and head out the door, hand in hand.


	16. Chapter 15

"We got a report of an alien sighting," Rose explains as they hurry downstairs. "May be nothing. Might be something."

They take the elevator to the basement and she runs to the office. Unlocking a drawer in her desk, she takes out a gun.

"Rose -"

"This is a Torchwood weapon," she tells the Doctor calmly. "It will not kill, but it will severely stun anyone who makes me angry. That includes aliens."

"It's not necessary -"

"It is very necessary. I have no other way of protecting myself. Neither do you," she adds, quickly slipping a holster over her blouse and pulling her black jacket back on with the gun safely strapped on. She faces him, deadly serious.

"You have no sonic screwdriver. You won't regenerate if you're hurt. I certainly won't. Now are you coming, or should I leave you to play with your toys?"

He's still not happy, his lips pressed together, but he nods curtly and grabs his coat and follows her.

A jeep is waiting for them and Rose tosses him the keys. "Will you drive? I'll man the computer."

The Doctor starts the car without comment and waits for further instructions. They've driven several miles before Rose activates her headset again.

"Control, go ahead."

"Who is responding?"

"Rose Tyler and John Smith."

"I only have your headset responding, Rose."

"Switch your headset on," Rose hisses.

"No."

"Switch it on! They have to be able to track us."

With a long-suffering sigh, the Doctor turns on his headset and drops it back on the seat.

"Receiving a non-human signal two miles west of your current location."

"Is that where the sighting was reported?"

"Yes. Do you see it? I can send the address if you need it."

Rose scans her tracking computer. "I have it. We're heading there now, Control."

"You need to be able to speak to the Control room," she says to the Doctor. "And to me, if we get split up."

"That's what the mobile phone is for."

"You just got it. It's not programmed. I don't even know the number. Neither do you."

He doesn't reply to this.

"You have become an absolutely stubborn thing," Rose informs him. "I don't know that I care for it."

"There was a Controller on the Game Station, remember?" he asks, and then quickly shakes his head. "No, you weren't there. She monitored all of the broadcasts - the Daleks placed her there when she was a child."

Rose nods slowly. "She was the one who drew us in on the transmat."

"The very same. Maybe I'm a bit jumpy when it comes to people having control over me."

"There are no Daleks here. Torchwood is not out to control anyone. We needed a way to communicate. It works. We needed a way to protect ourselves from Cybermen and monsters and aliens. The weapons work. I needed a way to find you and we made a machine and it worked." She's getting herself all worked up and it's a good thing she's in the backseat with the computer and not sitting next to him where she can smack him on the head.

"And you were brilliant with the dimension cannon, Rose! Absolutely brilliant. And I will be grateful every day of my life that it worked." He turns to look at her in the backseat. "Every single day."

"Me too," she says, mollified.

"I know, Rose. I don't mean to be -" His words are cut off as something lands on the windshield of the jeep. The Doctor swerves to avoid it, jerking the steering wheel to the right, then to the left.

"What was that?" Rose exclaims.

"You are kidding me!" the Doctor yells. "That was a Tsetsor, right? I'm right, aren't I?"

"What the hell is a Tsetsor?" Rose cries from the backseat, where she's struggling to remain upright. "Who taught you to drive?"

"Hold on!" He's following the alien creature who just vaulted over the car's hood. A few more streets go by in a blur, with the Doctor turning left and right. At last he stops the jeep, yelling in frustration and hitting the steering wheel.

"Lost it. Come on, Rose!" He jumps out of the car and Rose follows, grabbing the tracker as she goes.

"Which way, which way," the Doctor is muttering, running down the street.

"Hang on," Rose says, turning all around in the middle of the oddly empty street. "I know this place."

"You do?" The Doctor looks all around as well. "We've been here before. Hang on."

Realization comes at the same time.

"Dame Kelly Holmes Close!"

It's not precisely the same street. The monarchy having fallen after Queen Victoria succumbed to a werewolf bite in 1879, there are no dames. The People's Republic doesn't go in for that sort of thing.

And the location of the neighborhood seems to be off a bit, but everything else is the same.

The Doctor walks over to a street sign. "Yup. Here we are. Kelly Close Street. Close enough." He can't help but smirk at his own joke.

Rose manages not to roll her eyes. "So what are we doing here? It's a parallel world, right? Not a...a time-loop or something. And we're chasing a tse-tse, not looking for missing kids."

"A Tsetsor," he corrects her. "It's just a coincidence that we've been here before."

"Odd sort of coincidence."

"That's what coincidences are. Stranger things have happened." The Doctor stops looking around, dismissing the street as unimportant. Moving close to Rose, he looks at her and smiles. "What are the odds that I would run into you at work while chasing homicidal shop dummies?"

She tilts her head and pretends to consider it. "Rather high?"

"Excellent work, Lewis."

"Thanks, Sarge." Rose looks down as the tracker starts to beep. "Here we go," she says cheerfully. "Straight ahead, five meters. What is this thing, anyway?"

"Looked like a common Tsetsor. Odd sort of creature to be hanging around on Earth. They're normally quite shy around strangers. Perhaps it got lost."

"Lost?" Rose repeats, slowly following the range of the tracking unit. "How could an alien get lost here on Earth? They have to go out of their way to get here in the first place."

"The Tsetsors are very big travelers. Tour groups, stuff like that. They love to sightsee. I once followed along on a trip to the Outer Moon of Nebulon Five. They wore me out before the end of the day. Quite passionate about local scenery and history. I ended up leaving early and having a nice tea in Edinburgh, 1823. Little scones with clotted cream."

The Doctor has casually been walking ahead of Rose. Seeing a still figure ahead, he stops and calls out to it. "It's okay, really! Are you lost? We can help you find your tour group. I'm-" He doesn't get to finish because the creature turns to face them and he gets his first good look at it.

He swears.

"Doctor?" Rose says in a panic.

"That's not a Tsetsor."

"It's not? What is it?"

"Damn it, Rose, I can't know every creature in the universe!"

"Is it because it's unique to this universe or you just don't know?"

"Let's not argue over technicalities. I assure you that back in our rightful universe I would be able to identify this creature with no problem whatsoever. There are far too many variables here to allow for that."

"Including the variable that just let it run away from us. Move!" Rose shoves past him and starts to run.

The alien, a rather tall, lumpy thing with scaly skin the color of a lead pencil, turns to snarl at her before taking off down a side street.

"Those teeth were pretty sharp. I'm guessing it's not too friendly."

Rose touches her headset. "Control, we're in pursuit of an unknown alien." She quickly describes the alien and gives their location.

"Acknowledged, Rose. Sending out another team for assistance."

Rose glances at the Doctor, who has moved ahead of her looking around for the alien.

"Time was it was just you and me doing this."

"We were a mite better off back then," he admits.

A scream comes from ahead, and they glance at each other before running towards it.

They stop at the end of the street and hear another scream. Rose takes a deep breath and cautiously peeks around the corner.

"I don't see anything."

"Neither do I." The Doctor is wishing, very badly, for his sonic screwdriver. He could kick himself for not taking it from himself before being left on this world. Giving in to the inevitable, he switches his headset on and hooks it over his ear. Instantly he hears a beeping, and a tinny voice.

"John Smith responding and acknowledged. We have you on screen."

"Uh, thank you."

"Quite all right. Control out."

He shakes his head, then tries not to look guilty when Rose glares at him.

"Leave it on," she orders him. "I'll go ahead. Wait here a second."

"Rose, no-"

"I'm fine." She starts off down the next street, listening hard for more screams or other indications of an alien loose in London, but doesn't hear anything.

Behind her a man yells in warning, and she spins around in time to see the Doctor diving to the ground. A large grey alien has just leapt over him and is running away across the street.

Rose sets off after it, the Doctor ahead of her by several yards and behind the alien by about the same amount of distance.

They all turn right into a back street, and Rose is left far behind. She can see the Doctor looking all around, clearly give it up for lost, and start heading back towards her. Then she sees something move behind him.

"Doctor?" Rose whispers. "I have it. Don't move - it's directly behind you."

He doesn't answer her. Rose keeps moving forward and assumes he doesn't want to to spook the whatever-it-is. Until he does turn around.

He steps back, startled at the sight of the alien, and the alien hisses and sprays a truly impressive arc of bright green fluid.

It lands on the Doctor, coating him thoroughly and knocking him to the ground.

Rose gasps and fires her gun. The alien sparks with blue energy before falling to the ground.

Rose runs to check on the Doctor, jumping over the prostate creature.

"Are you okay?" she demands, grabbing his arms.

"It sprayed me! Like a skunk. And now I'm green!"

"I told you to stay still!"

"When did you do that?" he demands. "I didn't hear anything from you until you fired your gun."

Rage unlike anything she's ever known before rises up within her. "You were supposed to have your headset on," she hisses from between clenched teeth. "Enough is enough with your ridiculous stance on headsets and guns and all things Torchwood."

He's staring at her like she's gone mad. "I never heard you. I'm wearing it right -" His hand goes to his ear and encounters his ear. He frowns. "Where is it?" He quickly checks his other ear, then looks around the ground. "It must have fallen off."

Rose is shaking. "You could have been killed."

He's given up looking for the headset and is now inspecting his arm. The sleeve of his coat is covered in a slimy green substance.

"This is revolting."

"Even with the headset, he would have reached you. What if that's dangerous? Take it off!" Rose grabs hold of his coat and yanks it off of him. His shirt is unstained but his hands and are face are still smeared with whatever came from the alien.

"I'm all right, Rose. It's like skunk spray. Nasty but essentially harmless. Most aliens don't spew forth toxic venom. Well, the Magrudi do, but that's a special case."

A growl comes from behind them. They both look spin around to look at the alien, but it's still lying on the ground, motionless. The growl comes again.

Slowly turning their heads towards it, they see a second alien, identical to the one on the ground.

"Oh, no," Rose murmurs.

The green arc hits her just as she stuns it with her gun. Rose gives an incoherent cry of horror.

The Doctor shakes his head. "Disgusting. Let's hope it doesn't stain your hair."

"This...this..." Rose is trying to wipe away green fluid from her face and not succeeding. In marked contrast to her concern over the Doctor, he is standing still and regarding her with the interest he would show a specimen under a microscope.

"Rose, Doctor. We're on our way," Jake Simmonds' voice says from her headset. "Stay put."

"Too late, Jake," Rose mutters. "Two aliens, under control."

Jake pulls up mere feet away from them in a large black van. Two other men jump out of the back and quickly pull out a large stretcher. They move towards one of the aliens but stop when they see the Doctor, still standing in place and watching them with his eyebrows raised in interest.

Jake walks over to the closest alien and nudges it with his foot. "Weird." He shakes his head and then indicates the Doctor with a nod of his head.

"This is the Doctor," he tells his companions. "Rose's Doctor."

The men nod and look awestruck. "Good to meet you, sir," one of them says.

"Uh, thanks. You, too."

"Marsh and Larsen," Jake says. "Part of our cleanup crew."

"An honor to meet you, Doctor," the other one says. "You saved our lives a few years back. Thank you."

The Doctor nods. "Quite all right. Anyone would have done the same. Er, carry on, then."

The aliens are loaded up on the stretchers, restrained at hands and feet, and covered with white sheets. Marsh and Larsen load them into the back of the van.

"Think we stepped on a headset," Jake says, holding it out to Rose. "Yours?"

She silently hands it to the Doctor. It's now crushed beyond repair and he sticks it in the back pocket of his trousers. Jake has taken samples of the green liquid and placed it into small, clear vials.

"See you back at the Tower," Jake says before jumping into the van. "I'd get cleaned up if I were you. That looks disgusting."

The Doctor scratches his head and looks around as if wondering what to do next. Rose carefully eases off her black jacket and holds it by the collar. Her hair is dripping tears of green fluid onto her shoulders.

Now the Doctor sticks his hands in his pockets. "This is the part where I usually take myself off," he comments. "Leave the cleaning up for everyone else."

Rose smiles at him ruefully before she turns around and starts walking back to the jeep. "You're part of the clean up crew now."

* * *

He manages to cajole her into a better mood on the way back to Torchwood, although it does take some effort on his part.

"Not like this has never happened before! Remember back on that little planet - what was it called again?- when you slipped in that little mud puddle and fell all the way you down to the-" He stops at the look on her face. "Anyway! No harm done."

Truth be told, Rose is not bothered by the green liquid, substance, fluid, whatever they're going to end up calling it. Well, not bothered too much. She hates having anything stuck in her hair, to be honest.

"It's not dangerous, then, this stuff?"

"If it was we'd already be dead. Or paralyzed, or our skin would be burning. Something would have happened by now. Although we should wash it off as soon as we can."

Rose shudders. "Ick."

The Doctor takes her completely by surprise when he starts to laugh.

"What?"

He's laughing so hard he almost steers them into the car in front of them. He rights the wheel and looks over at her, still grinning.

"When was the last time that happened?" he demands. "You and me and an alien or two. Getting hit with some unknown substance, running for our lives?"

"We weren't exactly running for our lives," Rose points out, but she can't help smiling back at him. "We're a pretty good team."

"Always were," he says in great satisfaction.

* * *

The aliens are locked up in two holding cells in Torchwood's basement until a translation program can be found to interpret their speech. The green fluid is being examined, and Rose and the Doctor have been debriefed by Rose's superior, a man named Bennett.

As a rule, Rose doesn't deal with him very often. She's done and seen much more than he has, and that combined with being Pete's daughter, lets her keep her autonomy. She always reports in, though, and always types up a quick report.

Bennett doesn't keep them very long. This is due partly because he stands in extreme awe of the Doctor. It's also because they've yet to clean up and they're dripping green stuff all over his office floor.

Rose goes up to Pete's office and washes her hair in his private washroom. Pete himself is thankfully absent form his office. His secretary has seen many odd things in her time here and only nods a greeting to Rose as Rose walks by.

Rose walks back down to her office to get a clean t-shirt from her desk. Work at Torchwood long enough and you learn to keep extra clothing at work. She's not surprised to find the Doctor there. He's scrubbed his face and his wet hair is standing up in tufts.

"Hello," he greets her.

"Hi. Bennett will be expecting a report. Do you want to write it up?"

Her innocent smile is making him nervous. "That's all right. You go ahead."

"You need the practice."

"I was doing paperwork and writing reports before you were born," he says testily. "I do not need the practice." He stands up and walks over to her, surveying the damage done to her clothes. It's only when he pulls her into his arms that Rose suspects he was making sure she wouldn't get any green stuff on him. She settles into the hug, anyway, closing her eyes as he wraps his arms tightly around her.

"You okay?" he murmurs.

"Yeah. You?"

"Right as rain." He kisses her mouth,

"Good. You're still writing the report."

He leans back and opens his mouth to protest. She covers his lips with her fingers. "Rules are rules."

She recognizes the gleam in his eye and can just about read his mind. If he were in charge...

To prevent him from thinking up ways to begin lobbying for Pete's job - and really, who would be a better man to run Torchwood? - she pulls him over to her desk and pushes him into her chair.

Simon and Riley walk in as they're arguing over what details to include.

"We were just in the holding cells," Riley says. "Those things are weird."

"That is truly disgusting," Simon agrees.

"I know!" Rose says. "And we don't even know what they are."

"What - the aliens? I meant you, Rose. You're covered in goop."

"Got my jacket, mostly."

"And your pants," Riley points out.

Rose braces herself against her desk and watches as the Doctor types up his version of events, complete with his own expert opinion of what the aliens might be.

"It's funny," Rose says. "I've spent my time here fighting aliens, taking it so seriously. One outing with you and we're arguing in the street and getting non-toxic alien dye sprayed on us by two nasty, dangerous-looking creature who are probably harmless."

"I bring out the lighter side of Torchwood," he agrees.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Riley asks on her way out the door.

The Doctor looks up at Rose. "Well?"

She leans forward and kisses his forehead. "Definitely a good thing," she assures him.

"You have some green stuff on your lip," he tells her, and can't help laughing at the face she makes.


	17. Chapter 16

Rose has gone home and showered and changed. Most of the green stuff is out of her hair, and the handy scientists at Torchwood have confirmed that the substance is a fairly harmless fluid meant to deter predators.

"Did you take a look at them?" the Doctor had asked. "Who or what would be large enough or hungry enough to hunt those things?"

Anyway, the green stuff shouldn't turn her hair green. Hopefully.

The Doctor's cleaned up nicely, and there's no threat of discoloration in his hair. It's still sort of brown, a lovely chestnut in the sunlight but not ginger.

He's come home with her because they only have the one car and he was bored with being the alien expert. Or expert alien, take your pick, Rose couldn't help saying.

"Are you going to shower or anything?" Rose asks. He's at the kitchen table, trying to get her computer to accept three-dimensional drawings of his sonic screwdriver. Her computer is not that advanced and is not cooperating with him. It's lucky he doesn't have that sonic screwdriver already made, or Rose's computer would be sitting in a pile of wires.

"Yeah, in a minute."

"We have a program at work to do that for you. Mine is just for emails and stuff."

He looks pretty put out at that, and Rose feels a twinge of sympathy. She knows how badly he needs something of his own.

She leans over him and hugs his shoulders from behind. "You'll get it made, don't worry."

He sighs and pushes the laptop away. "Thanks." He turns his head to kiss her. "Much better," he says approvingly. "You've got that strange smell all out of your hair."

She smiles at him. "You'd better do the same. That stuff might make Time Lord hair fall out or something."

The look of alarm on his face is ample reward for what she's gone through today. She smirks to herself as he jumps from the chair and into the bathroom.

He uses the rest of the shampoo washing his hair.

* * *

"Right, Rose Tyler!" The Doctor says when he's clean and dressed and his hair is back to normal. "One ordinary life. Let's get started." He looks around the living room as though expecting a list to pop up on a screen somewhere.

"I have to do the shopping," Rose says, and he makes a face.

"Is that it?"

"There's laundry," she offers. "You've got a big pile on the floor of the guest room."

"Let's go shopping," he says.

They've been shopping before, stopping off while in the TARDIS to pick up milk or snacks, but this is the first time they've done a full-out shopping trip together. Rose pushes the shopping cart and feels a bit like when she goes shopping with Tony. Her small brother is always reaching for things he wants, and the Doctor is no exception. The variety in the grocery store thrills him to no end.

"Peanut butter, honey butter, almond butter," he reads out loud. "Look, Rose. This one has peanut butter and jam mixed in together."

"That's been around for a while," she tells him. "Back home, too."

"Really?" He peers closely at the jar before putting it on the shelf. "Ah! Marmalade." He places six jars in the cart before moving off. Rose puts four of the jars back.

She starts to follow as he heads down the aisle but she's suddenly hit by a wave of disbelief. She is standing here, in an ordinary grocery store, and the Doctor is with her. He is shopping for food with her, chattering away like nothing is wrong and nothing has changed.

There is nothing wrong, Rose knows, but she also knows that everything has changed.

She waits for the pain to come and it doesn't. The knowledge that she isn't where she belongs doesn't come this time. She only feels happiness. Happiness and joy and she can't hold it in. She looks at him and laughs, so full of love. He's put his glasses on and is reading the label on a box of something, wearing jeans and his white sneakers and yet another blue button-down shirt that Rose picked out.

He is tall and handsome and human, and he is really here with her.

She slowly pushes the shopping cart over to him and he shows her the box in his hand.

"This has a complete meal contained within a pouch. All you do is add hot water."

Rose takes the box from his hand and lets it fall. She stands on her toes and kisses him, right there in the jam aisle.

He blinks as she lets him go. "Hello."

"I love you," she tells him, and watches happiness slowly light up his face.

Later they find the box with the complete meal inside its pouch as they unpack the groceries. It's beef stroganoff with noodles, and she has to admit that it doesn't taste all that bad.

* * *

Rose turns over in bed. She's awake but the alarm hasn't gone off yet so she buries her head in the pillow again.

"Good. You're awake," an impossibly cheery voice says.

She looks up, blinking at the sudden light. The Doctor is sitting next to her in bed.

"Would you like a doughnut?" He's eating a donut and getting powdered sugar all over the sheets.

"Did we buy doughnuts last night?"

"We did not. Luckily the shop down the street sells them."

Clearly Rose is not fully awake. "When did you go to the shop down the street?"

"This morning. I was up early." He takes another bite, sending a fresh sprinkling of sugar down to the sheets.

Rose has to work hard to process the conversation. "This morning. How did you pay?"

"You had some money in your bag." He smiles at her. "Didn't think you'd mind. I don't have any, myself."

Rose gives up and covers her face with the blanket. "What time is it?"

"Six-thirty."

"AM?"

"Of course. I've been up for eighty-three minutes already. I'd forgotten how much you sleep."

She frowns up at him. "Have you just been sitting here watching me?"

He scoffs. "Please. As if I would ever do that." He slants her a slightly guilty look. "Maybe once or twice, before."

"Before?" she asks suspiciously.

Now he smiles at her, finishing his doughnut and sprawling down on the bed next to her. "Before, when we were in the TARDIS," he confesses.

"You'd watch me sleep?"

"You slept all the time, Rose. Sometimes I'd just...check up on you to make sure you were still breathing."

"You rat!" She frees a hand from the blanket to smack his shoulder.

He moves closer to her, catching her in his arms. "I was crazy about you," he says softly. "Couldn't help it. Especially that first me. Oh, he was hopeless over you."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. I died for you, didn't you ever think I might love you?"

"You weren't exactly forthcoming," she accuses.

"New new new Doctor," he announces. "All yours and forthcoming about all aspects."

She chuckles and rests her head on his shoulder. "How often did you watch me?"

"I didn't say 'watch'. I said 'check up on'. I would check up on you."

"So you were stalking me."

"You were sleeping. I was lonely." He ends the discussion by nuzzling her jawline. "Did you sleep well last night?" His lips taste of powdered sugar.

Rose murmurs something and stretches under her blankets as his lips move to her neck. "Mmm. I did. You?"

"Don't think I need as much sleep as you." He's steadily working his way down her neck to her chest.

"No? You never have, that's okay." Rose pushes the blankets away in the spirit of cooperation.

"Excellent Time Lord physiology."

"Superior to humans?"

"Of course." He finds a particularly sensitive spot, and Rose simultaneously shivers and groans and gasps.

"Don't stop," she whispers, and he doesn't stop.

They fall asleep afterwards, his arms wrapped around her.

The alarm goes off and Rose turns it off by slamming the top of the clock until it stops. Beside her the Doctor's head is buried in his pillow. She kisses the back of his neck and ruffles his hair. It is really great hair, she thinks fondly, and now it's hers to play with. She has another wave of sheer happiness and kisses his neck again.

"Wake up," she murmurs.

"Again? Aren't you tired?"

She slaps his bare back. "Time to get up. Aliens to catch, invasions to foil."

He turns over and faces her, a loopy smile on his face.

"What?" He's watching her fondly and it's making her nervous.

"Nothing. Just happy to be with you." He jumps out of bed before she can respond. "I call the shower."


	18. Chapter 17

A slow day at Torchwood isn't always a good thing. It leaves you to wonder where all the aliens are, and what they're planning. Riley and Simon are in the Control room, watching for any blips of alien activity. Ian is catching up on his emails.

The Doctor has walked Rose down to the basement, but she can tell he is anxious to get to work.

"Go on," she says. "We don't need to stay together all the time."

"Okay," he says immediately. "I'll see you later."

"Call me for lunch," Rose says, now that she knows his new phone works. They spent part of the previous evening programming it with numbers. She suspects he regards it more as a toy than a useful tool, but she knows he will keep it with him.

It's an uneventful morning in terms of alien sightings. In terms of experimentation, it's rather busier. While trying to melt an unknown metal to pour into a mold, the Doctor causes a small explosion in his lab. He quickly puts out the fire with the extinguisher set in the wall, but it's hard to stay in a smoke-filled room. Rather reluctant to let Rose know what happened, he instead moves across the hall to Anna's lab, glad to have company as he painstakingly aligns small bits of metal together.

Anna is working on her own sonar project but doesn't mind chatting at the same time.

"We had this ridiculous meeting this morning. Have you been to a meeting yet?"

"Oh, I'm not much for meetings," the Doctor says, squinting down at his workstation.

"Torchwood's always holding meetings. How to handle aliens better, how to control a panicking human population in the event of an invasion, how to curb your expenses out in the field. Loads of fun."

"Yeah, sounds it." The Doctor shudders.

"This was about how to maximize our time and efforts. If they'd let us work instead of sitting in meetings, we'd be a lot more effective."

"Very true," he agrees absently.

A few minutes later Anna looks up from her computer. "Do you smell smoke?"

"No."

"Smoke. Here." She walks into the hallway. A few seconds later he can hear her gasp. "Your lab is filled with smoke!" She grabs the phone to report it and when she hangs up she stands very still, her eyes on him.

"Sorry, did you say something?" he asks finally.

"You said you dropped something over there. That was the loud nose I heard. And then you came in here - to keep me company, you said. And now there's smoke in your laboratory."

"Yeah?"

Anna gives up and goes back to her desk.

"What is it that you're working on again?" the Doctor asks after a long silence.

"We're trying to detect incoming alien signals with sonar waves. I'm still not sure if it's a great idea or just rubbish."

"And why sonar?"

"After the Cybermen disappeared, we had temperatures like you wouldn't believe," Anna says. "Forget global warming - we were heading to a slow burn. The worry now is that anything we do will result in the same problem. Some higher-ups think sonar waves may be the answer."

"The weather problems were caused because the walls between parallel worlds were breaking down. I closed them. The Earth isn't in danger any longer."

"No one wants to take that chance again."

"Can't blame them for that." The Doctor ponders the mess in front of him. "Maybe I should try a blowtorch."

"You do that, I'm definitely leaving."

Anna leaves to meet Ian for a coffee. When she comes back she could swear that the Doctor hasn't moved. He's still staring fixedly at the metal components, willing them to do what he wants. He's wearing his glasses and his face is only inches away from the tabletop.

Honestly, Anna thinks, this one is even stranger than Ian said. She wonders if a psychological evaluation was done when he was hired. "Was your last one this hard to put together?" she asks.

He runs his hand through his hair. "No. My last one was made. Grown."

"Grown. Your screwdriver was grown, like a, a plant?"

He looks over at her. "Yeah. Grown. From my spaceship."

Anna gives him a level look. "Your screwdriver was grown from your spaceship."

He nods.

"I have no words," she says finally.

At that moment Rose pushes open the door. "Hey."

The Doctor looks over at her and grins. Anna can almost forgive him the spaceship comment, seeing how happy they are to see one another.

"Your lab is filled with smoke," Rose says, walking over to him. "Everything okay?"

"Smoke? Really? How strange." He halfway turns to the door as though he might walk out and check on it.

Over in her corner, Anna rolls her eyes.

"There's a cleanup crew already over there," Rose assures him.

"How's it going with the sonic screwdriver?"

"Turns out they're much harder to build than to grow."

Rose nods in agreement, as if that statement makes absolute sense.

Anna gives up pretending not to listen. "You're mad, both of you."

They're smiling at each other and haven't heard her. The look on both of their faces could be described as goofy.

She shakes her head and turns back to her computer with a small smile.

* * *

He is holding a running monologue as he works. Rose is reminded of all the hours she'd spent in the TARDIS, watching him repair one thing or another.

"Are you sure all this fuss is worth it?" Anna asks skeptically. She's given up all pretense of working and can't help following their bizarre conversation.

"Oi, it's worth it!" the Doctor says indignantly. "Honestly, the way you humans treat this piece of machinery. Just because it's not a digital sonic blaster from Villengard-"

"Hang on, there're sonic blasters out there somewhere, and you're building a _screwdriver_?" Anna demands. "And what do you mean, 'you humans'?"

"He knows what he's doing," Rose says hastily. "Trust me."

"I do trust you, Rose. Doctor Smith here is a bit harder to take seriously."

"Just Doctor," he says absently.

"See? He makes no sense."

"But other times he's brilliant, yeah?"

"Yes," Anna says slowly. "Sometimes."

Rose shrugs. "There you are, then."

"And the 'human' thing?"

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here," the Doctor says sternly. "You wouldn't have a job here if it weren't for me."

"I have a job because Simon and Jake recruited me after the Cybermen killed off half of London."

"I'm the reason Torchwood was created in the first place. Well, myself and Dame Rose, here."

"You are out of your mind and should be sectioned immediately."

""The Doctor is human," Rose says firmly. "He's not been one for very long, so he's still learning, but he is human."

"Define 'very long'."

"Oh, few days now," he says thoughtfully. "Rose, come and give me a hand?"

"You really ought to see when your lab will be fixed," Anna says firmly. "Let me look into that for you."

* * *

Work on the sonic screwdriver is halted when Jake calls for the Doctor. An accident site has uncovered a small device that is distinctly non-human, and he is wanted for his expert opinion. Rose tags along in case she can be of help.

"I used to be Torchwood's top expert," she remarks. "You're overshadowing me."

"Am I? I'll pretend ignorance, if you like."

"No, that's okay. Not this time, anyway." Rose remembers Satellite Five, explaining to Adam about their surroundings like the expert she was not. She glances at the Doctor and can tell he's reminded of that, too. He's trying not to roll his eyes.

"Shut up," she says, nudging his shoulder. "I was younger then."

"I bet he's still an idiot."

"A fool with a door in his head," she agrees, and can't help giggling at the thought.

Riley rings her up as the Doctor is explaining to a room full of people how some alien species convert oxygen to hydrogen as a means of making cooking fuel while camping.

Rose tunes out his voice as she answers her phone. "Hello?"

"Rose, we have some level 5 activity in east London."

"Do you need me?" Level 5 meant a high level of alien activity, and usually required several people to respond.

"Yeah. We're the only ones here. Meet us in the car park. Pick up a plasma gun."

"What?" she says in surprise.

"Just do it. This one sounds serious."

Rose turns to the Doctor, who has finished his explanation and is accepting thanks for his help.

"Gotta go," she says. "Aliens to check out."

"Really? Shall I come?" He looks interested, but Rose shakes her head.

"No. You want to finish your screwdriver. We shouldn't be long. Stay here with your...stuff."

He smiles at her and steps in close. "You love it when I play with stuff."

"Yes I do. I love to watch you with stuff."

They're nearly nose to nose now, and the Doctor would take advantage of this to give her a good, proper kiss, but there are still other people in the room with them, people he doesn't really know.

"See you later?" he asks instead.

"Definitely."

* * *

Rose meets up with Riley, Ian and Simon outside and climbs into the Torchwood jeep. Simon is at the wheel, Ian beside him following the tracker.

Rose switches her headset on and settles in next to Riley, who's stationed at the computer in the back. Simon takes off with a squeal of tires, throwing them all back in their seats.

"Bloody hell, Simon!" Ian yells. "I've got a coffee in my hand!"

Simon tears through the streets of London without stopping, going through three red lights.

"Are you crazy?" Rose finally cries. "Slow down before you get us all killed!"

"Seriously, Simon, we have weapons in the back!" Riley says. "One good crash will set off all our grenades. Think of the paperwork!"

"Alien activity increasing," Simon calls back. "Can't be good."

"Pay attention to the road! I'll follow the alien," Ian snaps. His coffee has spilled all over his jacket and has not put him in a good mood.

"Control," Rose say through her headset. "Do you copy?"

"Copy, Rose."

"Increased alien activity. We'll be there in three minutes."

"Acknowledged."

The area is painfully familiar to Rose. They pass what would have been the Powell Estate on her world. She pushes it out of her mind and makes sure her gun is ready.

The old Rose and the old Doctor would never have had a use for a gun. Yesterday's stunner is one thing. The plasma gun is large and lethal.

She is a new Rose, and in this world a plasma gun is the only thing that will kill some aliens bent on killing them first. She's done it before and will do it again, and that is her life here on this world.

She is fine with the new Rose. Sometimes she even likes her. She can certainly understand her.

The tracker starts to beep wildly.

"Close enough here." Simon parks on the street and they jump out, Ian holding the tracker and all with guns drawn.

Ahead of them is a long alley. Coming from the alley is a strange green light.

"Three guesses," Riley says.

"What is it about aliens and alleys?" Ian asks, shouldering his weapon.

Rose is looking around. "Two of us can go around to the other side of the alley. Two can go up those stairs and behind." She points up at the stairs that run along one of the buildings lining the alley.

"Let's go, Rose." Ian heads up the stairs. Simon and Riley edge around the alley.

The green glow comes from an alien, humanoid in shape. It's holding a woman in its arms.

"Civilian on the scene," Riley whispers into her headset.

Simon approaches slowly. "We are Torchwood. Let her go."

"Torchwood!" the alien rasps in passable English. "Of course. Who else would be so stupid?" It waves an arm. Riley, easing up behind it and aiming her plasma gun, disappears.

"Riley!"

"Stop!" Ian yells from the stairway above.

"Don't think so!" the alien yells. "Death to Torchwood!"

"What -" Ian disappears in a flash of light. Rose is next to him and jumps towards him without thinking. In the blink of an eye, she disappears as well.

Simon swears. "Control!" he shouts into his headset. "Control!" The green light surrounding the alien and the human woman is deflecting the shots from his own plasma gun, even though he's aiming and shooting as steadily as he can. He starts to back away from the alien, suspecting the woman is dead. The alien heads deeper into the alley, still holding the woman.

"Control!"

"Go ahead, Simon."

"Unknown alien entity. Trace it through my headset. It's - it's done something. They're gone. They've all vanished."

"We're tracing now. Who's gone, Simon?"

Simon is running back into the alley.

"Simon? This is Control, Simon. Where are you?"

* * *

Pete crashes into the Doctor's lab. "We need you."


	19. Chapter 18

The Doctor is handed a headset as he steps into the control room. He switches it on and hooks it over his ear.

"Simon's headset is the only one we can access right now. The other three have stopped transmitting." The man at the computer wears a headset and is following a tracking signal of some kind on a second screen. Beside him a woman is repeating three names over and over.

"What happened?" the Doctor demands. There is a churning in his stomach.

"Ambush," Pete answers shortly. "They were tracking an alien. Simon said that it did...it did something, that they're all gone."

"Who's gone?" the Doctor demands, but he already knows. The woman at the control desk has already answered that for him.

"Riley?" she says into her headset. "Are you there? Rose, can you hear me? Ian? Are you there? Simon? Are you still there, Simon?"

"Here." Simon's voice comes through the headsets. He's breathing hard. "Bloody hell. I lost it. It's humanoid. Green light... it's glowing. It was holding a woman. I see three other dead bodies on this street."

"Where are the others?" Pete asks calmly. His voice is shaking and he's gripping the back of a chair so hard his fingers have turned white.

"They disappeared. They're just gone - it must have done something but I didn't see any weapons. We couldn't do anything."

Pete looks at the Doctor, who shakes his head helplessly. _"_I need more than that. It's not enough."

"We're sending another team in, Simon," Pete says. "Jake is on his way."

"I'm here!" Riley's voice cries suddenly. "I was moved! What happened? Where am I?"

"Riley, Ian, Rose! Can any of you hear me?" Simon's voice asks.

"I'm not sure where I am," Riley is saying. "I can't trace any of you. Control, can you hear me?"

Control responds, but Riley's headset is still not working properly.

"Control, I'm on a street somewhere. I'm moving down to find the others."

"Simon." Rose's voice freezes the Doctor and Pete. "Simon? Riley?"

"Bloody hell!" Ian rasps. "Can you hear them?"

"No. Simon! Riley! Are you there?"

There is a moment of chaos as they all talk over each other.

"Riley, Ian -"

"Simon, are you there? I don't see anyone-"

"Ian, can you hear me?"

"Ian's injured, we can't move-"

"Rose!" the Doctor says. "Rose?"

"We can't link the headsets, sir," the man at the desk says to Pete. "They're all right but they're not communicating properly. It may be a result of whatever happened out there."

"Keep trying," Pete says grimly. "Where is Jake?"

"They're packing their gear, sir. They'll be on the road in a moment."

"They might not get there in time," Pete mutters.

"Rose?" Simon is asking. "Rose, are you there?"

"Simon!" Rose says. "I'm here. Can you hear me?"

"Yes! I can hear you. Are you all right?"

"We're in an alley somewhere. A different one. I'm with Ian. We were moved together, or landed together, or whatever it was that happened. He's hurt. _What is going on_?"

"I'm fine," Ian says. _ "_Rose is hurt. She's covered in blood."

_ "_That's you, not me."

"It's you, you stupid cow."

A silence, while the Doctor and Pete stand perfectly still and white as ghosts.

"Okay, it's even," Ian finally acknowledges. _"_We're_ both _covered inblood."

"Ian can't move. I think he broke his leg when he...when he landed."

"Rose hurt her knee."

"Simon, where are you? Can you hear us?"

"I'm here. Another team is on their way. Stay put. I'll find you."

"Simon!" Riley cries. "I can hear you! Rose, are you all right? Can you hear me?"

"I can hear you, Riley. Where are you? Where's the alien? We can't let it get away."

"I don't see it, Rose," Riley responds. "No idea how I even ended up where I am."

"Here! I have it," Simon's voice says.

Everyone in the room stills, listening carefully. There is the sound of a gun firing.

"It - no, it's gone. Control, do you hear me? It just disappeared. What the hell is going on?"

"We've found it," Rose says in a resigned voice. The sound of a plasma gun is heard. Ian swears.

"Plasma guns have no effect," Rose adds colorlessly. A small explosion occurs, startling everyone in the control room. "Grenades have no effect. It's surrounded by a force field of some kind. We can't move, Simon. We're trapped."

"Keep shooting. _Don't stop_. I'm coming."

Pete scrubs his face with his hands.

The Doctor turns to Pete. "Where are your transporters?"

* * *

The Doctor slams into Margaret Adams' lab. "I need to be translocated," he says without preamble. "And I need a gun," he adds to Pete. "A powerful one. Not plasma. Something that can break through the strongest shields imaginable. What did Rose take when she came looking for me? Something like that."

Pete nods and pulls out his phone.

"We have no translocators," Margaret says. "They've stopped working. The Dimension Cannon, the -"

"Margaret, you're a scientist! I know damn well that somewhere on these premises you have something that works that you haven't told anyone about. Now let me have it so I can save Rose!"

Margaret licks her lips and looks at Pete.

"Do it, Margaret."

She goes to a cabinet at the back of the lab and unlocks it. Inside is a safe. She keys in a code and opens it to reveal several translocators smaller than the palm of her hand.

"Prototypes," she says briefly. "The ones that Mickey and Jackie took with them worked, so we never moved on to these. They'll get you there instantly." She glances at Pete. "There was no need for them so I kept them here. Rose thought we might need them later on. We didn't think anyone needed to know about them."

"We'll deal with Rose later, Margaret. Give him what he needs."

Someone arrives and hands the Doctor a large weapon identical to what Rose was carrying the first time he saw her on Earth - was it only a few days ago? Pete quickly shows him how the gun works and the Doctor slings it over his shoulder.

Armed with his gun, he accepts a translocation disk from Margaret.

"It needs ten minutes to recharge after each move," she says quickly.

"Control," the Doctor says. "I'm ready."

"Locked onto Rose's location," the control desk says. "Go."

The Doctor hits the disk and meets Pete's eyes as he disappears. "I'll bring her back," he says. "I'll bring all of them back."


	20. Chapter 19

Rose keeps shooting her gun. The plasma bolts fall off the green glow of the alien as if they were rubber.

The alien continues to stand.

Behind her Ian throws another grenade. When the smoke clears, it's still there.

"Rose, does it look familiar?" Ian asks.

"No. I've never seen one like it."

The creature is almost indescribable - green glowing force field, odd, oval-shaped head, what look like horns sprouting from its forehead. Too-long arms, hunched-over posture and very, very sharp teeth.

"So much for Torchwood," it says. "Your weapons are useless against one such as me."

"How are you speaking to us?" Rose asks. "How do you know English?"

It hisses at her, still a good twenty feet away but plenty close enough for her.

"I speak nothing," it says, contradicting itself. "You hear what I want you to hear."

"You're a telepath?"

"So you pathetic people call it."

"What do you want here?"

"Food."

"You want food? You're hungry?" Rose isn't sure she's understood it right.

"We have food," Ian says from the ground behind her. "We can get you-"

"You are the food I want. You are what I'm hunting."

"Hurry, Simon," Ian mutters into his headset. "Control, do you hear this? Where the hell is everyone?"

"Stay back!" Rose warns the alien, holding her gun in front of her.

The alien's mouth stretches in what could be a smile, could be a snarl. It raises a hand and twitches its fingers. Rose jerks her head to the side as she feels a stinging sensation on her cheek. Reaching up, her fingers come away bloody.

She stares at the creature in horror, completely out of her depth. This is no Dalek, with the simple need to exterminate.

"The male first, I think. He is injured enough that it will be easy. You will be a nice sport. The others were no challenge for me." The alien starts toward her. Ian throws another grenade in desperation.

"Now you're just making me angry." The alien gestures, and Ian groans and slides sideways.

"No!" Rose falls next to him, wincing at the pain in her knee. He's unconscious but still breathing.

Rose straightens up. After everything she's done and seen, she is not going to be beaten by this monster. She prepares to aim her gun and fire with everything she has.

She's about to shoot when she sees a spark in the air. A wild blur of light and energy, and the Doctor is standing there, wielding a gun. A gun. The Doctor is holding a gun and it's the deadliest one Torchwood has.

"That's enough." The Doctor's voice is cold and steady. He's pointing the gun directly at the alien's head.

Rose freezes, terrified at this new development.

"Don't move," she whispers to Simon, to Riley, to anyone who can hear her. "Don't move."

"I will kill you next," the alien says. Its green force field flickers, and the Doctor widens his stance.

"If you move I will fire," he says with quiet certainty.

Rose has seen what that gun can do. She has seen it cut through solid steel. She's seen that gun destroy a Dalek.

The alien moves, and the Doctor fires.

Rose drops her gun and leaps back to avoid the fallout. When she looks up again, the alien is unharmed.

"One warning," the Doctor says. "That's all. Power down your forcefield and agree to come with me. Your life will be spared and we will see you home."

"Home! My people isolated themselves on our home. Forbade us to leave and seek out food elsewhere. I stole a ship and hunted. Ran and killed what I could eat on my own terms! Would you fault me for that?"

"I am probably the only person on this planet who can sympathize with you," the Doctor says. "The only one who might have - _might_ have - given you a chance. But then you killed people here. For sport."

"For food!"

"You've killed and maimed and left the bodies. That's not eating. It's murder. Your people closed themselves off for a reason. You are an anomaly."

"I am one of true blood. My people are weakened fools. All our abilities, and we're forced to close them off instead of hunting for prey!"

The alien shifts in place, and although Rose doesn't see anything happen, four long swipes suddenly open up on the Doctor's face and neck and begin to bleed.

The Doctor reacts instantly, aiming the gun and hitting the alien's arm. It falls to the ground, sliced cleanly off.

Rose stifles a cry and falls on the ground next to Ian.

"Telepathic acts work against humans," the Doctor says. "They're useless against other telepathic beings."

The alien hisses.

"I know your name," the Doctor says. "I can see what you've done. I see what you'll do if you're set free."

His face is empty and his eyes are cold. For the first time, Rose sees the Oncoming Storm and understands why the Daleks called him that. Understands why even the Dalek Emperor might have felt fear at this man.

The alien snarls and lurches forward. "You say you'll stop me but your thoughts tell me you won't kill."

The alien takes a step forward and turns towards Rose, lifting its arm. Rose braces herself but the Doctor fires the gun. The alien disappears in a flash of light and when the light is gone a body lays on the ground.

Rose stands up slowly, pressing her back against the brick wall for support. Her hands are wet with blood and sweat and her knee threatens to give out. She can't stop shaking.

What just happened? Who is this man?

He stands staring at the alien for a long moment. Then he sets the gun down and turns to her.

"I will kill to protect you, Rose. That's the kind of man I am now."

She manages to nod, lips pressed tightly together to keep from screaming.

He moves to her and wraps his arms around her. When he swings her into his arms she presses her face against his neck and weeps.


	21. Chapter 20

Rose wakes up slowly, the sound of the Doctor's voice in her ears.

"-race of telepathic creatures," he is saying to someone, "evolved into the ideal predator. They took a latent telepathic ability and developed it to the point that they could manipulate objects with their minds, move matter and transport it to another place. Very unique trick."

Rose's eyes drift closed.

It may be a moment later, it may be hours later, when she wakes up again.

"What was it doing here?" Pete asks.

"Hunting. They're also violent killers. Most of them stay close to home because the backlash against them can be incredibly brutal. Rumor had it they grew their own food supply - large cattle and bison. But sometimes a rogue creature would leave, start wreaking havoc on other planets. Like that one."

"And their injuries? Did it do that?"

"Its telepathic link needs to connect with its victim. It can do that by making eye contact. When it prepares to move you, the link is ripped open and bloody wounds result. That's how they hunt. Keep moving you until you're too injured to resist, track you down."

Rose turns her head and opens her eyes. She's in a bright room, lying down on a bed.

"Hello." The Doctor's face swims into view. He's sitting on the edge of the bed, holding her hand in both of his. His face is a bit bloody but the wounds have been cleaned. His shirt is stained with blood and there is worry and fear and desperation in his eyes, but he's smiling at her.

She manages to smile back at him before falling sleep again.

* * *

He's still there, sitting by the bed, the next time she opens her eyes. He sees her stir and sits up straighter. She smiles sleepily at him.

"Hi," she manages to say. "What happened?"

"You passed out."

"I did not. I never do that."

"Well, then. You fainted. Or swooned. Whatever you like."

"Where are we?"

"A hospital, of course. Only place we could go, what with you lot all injured and bleeding all over the street. You've been out for an hour or so."

"Rose." Pete is there, taking her other hand in his. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay." It registers that she's wearing a hospital gown. "The others?"

"Simon's unhurt," Pete tells her. "He's cleaning up the scene with Jake and some others."

"Ian? His leg?"

"Broken leg. That's fixed. He'll be awake in a day or so."

"The alien knocked him out telepathically," the Doctor clarifies. "I checked - he'll be fine. He just needs some time to recover."

"And Riley?"

"Riley is being seen to right now," Pete assures her. "She has a few cracked ribs, but she'll be fine. I'm taking her home when the doctors are done wrapping her up. Your mum's on her way," he adds.

"Oh, Dad, no!"

"Your mother's worried about you," the Doctor tells her. "Humor her."

Rose works some moisture into her mouth. "When can I go home?"

"As soon as they stabilize your knee and they decide you haven't lost too much blood."

"My knee," she repeats. A vague memory comes back, and she tries to move her right knee. "Ouch."

"You'll be out of here tomorrow," Pete tells her. He glances up at the Doctor. "You're in good hands. I'll be back in a bit." He leans down and kisses her forehead before leaving the room.

"We found a good Pete in this world," the Doctor tells her.

Rose smiles faintly. "I know. Am I really okay?"

"Rose! Of course you are. Apart from your knee, you have some blood loss and some deep cuts. Luckily they're not poisonous. The trick is to bleed the victim out, not poison the food source."

"Oh, gross." Her eyes trace his face. "Are you all right?"

He looks surprised. "Which of us is in the hospital bed?"

"You killed that alien."

His face is sober. "Yes."

"You never - you don't..."

"It killed four people. It injured you and Ian and Riley. It injured me," he says, and gestures to his face. "I did everything I could to make it stop."

"It was going to kill you."

"It was going to kill all of us. It got off easy, Rose." He stands up from the bed and starts to pace around the room. "I'm not a homicidal maniac, Rose. I have no desire to ever do that again. Guns are still abhorrent to me. But there comes a point when nothing else will work, and this was it."

He moves back to the bed, carefully brushes her hair back from her face. "I could see its mind. It was going to kill you. I couldn't let that happen. I won't ever let that happen."

"No, you have to-" Her eyes suddenly feel very heavy. "What's going on?" she manages to ask.

He kisses her forehead. "Painkillers. Go to sleep. It's all right."

* * *

The next time Rose wakes up the room is dark. Her head feels clearer, she's hungry, and she is in pain. Her knee is throbbing and there are streaks of fire running up and down her arm and chest. When she brings a hand up to check, she finds bandages. Moving farther up, she hits a bandage on her cheek and another on her forehead.

"Hello?" she says into the dark room.

"Sweetheart." Jackie's voice. A lamp is turned on, and Jackie's face comes into view.

"Mum."

"How do you feel?"

"Hurts," Rose tells her.

Jackie smiles and touches her cheek. "I know. I'm sorry." Tears fill her eyes and she starts to cry.

"Oh, Mum."

"Can't help it," Jackie sniffs. "You lot all bloody and banged up, the Doctor walking around like a ghost, your dad fit to be tied."

"The Doctor? What do you mean, 'a ghost'?"

Jackie will only shake her head. "He'll talk to you. Shall I get the nurse? Do you need more medication?"

"Oh, yes, please. I hurt all over."

Jackie hurries out of the room, intent on finding someone as quickly as she can.

Rose closes her eyes and marvels at how the beat of her heart is in sync with the throbbing in her knee.

"Thank you," Jackie says suddenly.

Rose jerks awake. "Oh! I fell asleep. Did I fall asleep?"

"You must have done." Jackie sits down next to her. ""The nurse has come and gone, gave you an injection. Well. You don't look so bad."

"Thanks. Where is he?"

"He's getting his face looked to. That thing sliced him clean open. He didn't even realize it, he was so worried about you." Jackie frowns as she looks at her daughter's face, hoping that the injuries don't scar. "You lost a lot of blood, that's why they're keeping you here 'til tomorrow."

"I feel fine," Rose protests, knowing this is a lie even as she says it.

Jackie rolls her eyes. "Of course you do, sweetheart. Still, you're a sight better than that Ian. His leg's broken in two places. That thing was vicious."

Rose squeezes her eyes shut. She's not ready to think about that just yet. Maybe she never will be.

"You're all fine," Jackie says softly. She sees a movement at the door and stands up. "Right. Your dad has a lot of fallout to deal with about this. I have to get home so he can go in to the office. I'll see you in the morning."

She kisses Rose on the forehead and leaves, stepping through the door that the Doctor has opened.

He comes in, walking to the bed and looking at her cautiously.

"It's okay," she says wearily. "I only look like I'm dying."

"Don't say that."

"How do you feel?" Rose asks as he sits beside her on the bed. She tries to scoot over to make room for him, but the pain makes her wince.

"Stay still," he says softly. "I'm fine."

Rose raises an eyebrow. His face has been bandaged, but she can see where those four cuts extend beyond the bandage and under his jaw and neck. Without thinking she reaches up to touch his face.

He catches her hand. "Don't."

"Does it hurt?"

He shrugs. "A bit. It didn't have time to really hurt me."

"No, it did that to me and Ian."

"Rose." He lets his head fall back. "I did-" He stops himself. When he continues, Rose knows he's changed his mind about what to say. "I'm going to be debriefed tomorrow. Debriefed!"

"Standard procedure. They know what happened." Rose meets his gaze and smiles. "You saved my life, Doctor. If we'd had to wait for Jake we'd be dead in that alley, right now."

"I knew what it was in the Control room. Hard to piece together at first, but between the force field and the moving people around, it was fairly easy to guess correctly."

"What was it?"

"A myrkrath."

"A what?"

"Myrkrath. A rogue one. Vicious hunter and killer, telepathic abilities. Its mind was unguarded when I arrived because it didn't think anyone on this planet had those abilities. It was set on killing me, then killing you and Ian, and going on and on until someone stopped it."

Rose hears the pain in his voice. "You did what needed to be done. We would have done the same. Just a lot sooner."

"Sooner, eh?"

"Maybe a bit much, all that negotiating," she tells him with a smile. "Stick with no second chances from now on, yeah?"

"All right." He kisses the top of her head. "You're going to be fine. Your cuts will heal and your knee was just sprained. No running for a while, but it will heal."

"You know, the last thing I want to do right now is run anywhere."

"Smart woman."

"Oh," she says dreamily. "I'm getting all woozy again."

"Painkillers. Those cuts smart, don't they?"

She looks at his face again, tries to reach up and touch his bandage but he moves his head back.

"Does it hurt?" she asks in concern.

He smiles faintly. "You're repeating yourself. I'll assume it's the medication."

"I don't want you to hurt. I don't ever want you to hurt."

"I'm not hurt."

She's fighting to keep her eyes open. "My Doctor. I want you safe. I love you. I know how sad you are but you have me now."

"Rose?" He peers at her worriedly.

With a tremendous effort, Rose comes back to herself. Fighting the painkillers, she takes his hand and holds it tightly, looking right into his eyes.

"You saved my life. I would kill the Daleks all over again if it meant keeping you safe. Don't be afraid of me. I still love you."

He is shaken to the core. "Rose."

"He was wrong," she murmurs, finally falling into sleep. "You need me, but you don't need me to make you better. You _are_ better."

She's still holding his hand. He lays on the bed beside her, trying to find his bearings.

Rescue and absolution from Rose Tyler. He kisses her forehead, careful not to touch the bandages. He falls asleep there, in her hospital bed, still holding her hand.

* * *

She is discharged the next day. Before she's allowed to leave she's been visited by Jake, Simon, Anna, her supervisors at Torchwood, and a representative from the President's office. The attention makes her head hurt.

Jackie has brought clean clothes for both of them and helps Rose get dressed. The Doctor changes his shirt and is satisfied.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Jackie asks.

"I'll be fine, Mum."

"No," the Doctor says. "If they want me up at Torchwood, your mum should be with you."

"I'm all right," she protests.

"I'll only stay until he comes home," Jackie promises. "Come on, the car's waiting."

They drop the Doctor off at Torchwood. Rose catches his hand before he gets out of the car. He looks at her questioningly. Rose only shakes her head and smiles. "Good luck."

"Thanks." He gives her a kiss, for once not caring that Jackie is there, too. "See you later."

Jackie takes her home and settles her on the couch.

"Here we are! Remote control, some tea. Ooh, fancy some chocolate biscuits?"

"I might have some in the kitchen."

They sit together and watch some bad television, occasionally laughing over the differences in this world's programs. Despite her discomfort, Rose is glad of the chance to just sit with her mum and be herself. No worries over who will hear them talk about a different place and a different life, or events that never happened.

Jackie is making a second pot of tea when the Doctor comes home.

"Hello," she greets him. "I thought you'd call, ask for a ride."

"I took the train. Never done that before." He's walking through the living room and looking around. "Where's Rose?" he asks, swinging around to face Jackie.

"Right here," Rose says from behind him. "I was in the loo."

"You should be sitting down." He walks forward and helps her back to the couch.

"You took the train?" Rose asks. "How'd that go?"

He looks annoyed. "I got lost. This London isn't exactly the same."

"Tell me about it." Jackie pours two cups of tea for them. "I'll be off, then. Should I have Mrs. Colton make you dinner tonight? She won't mind, she's been so worried about you."

"Thanks, Mum, but we're fine. Aren't we?" Rose glances at the Doctor.

He's been staring at Rose and blinks at being spoken to. "Sorry? Dinner? No, I'm fine. We can manage."

"Right, then. I'll call you later, sweetheart."

"Do you feel okay?" he asks when they're alone.

"Honestly, I'm fine! Please stop worrying. How do you feel?"

"Honestly, I'm fine," he assures her.

"Okay, we're both honestly fine. We've been attacked by a telepathic alien bent on eating us, and we have painfully deep slash marks on our bodies, but we're fine."

"Sarcasm is unbecoming, Rose Tyler," he tells her.

Rose settles back in against the couch, propping her feet up on the coffee table. "How'd it go today?"

The Doctor makes a face as he stands up to remove his jacket. "Far too many important people asking the same questions. I got the impression their main concern was bad publicity."

"Politics is fun. Poor Dad."

"Yeah, he didn't look like he was enjoying himself." The Doctor sits back down next to Rose. "They took my report, interviewed me, and won't tell me what they did with the body."

"It's probably in a vault somewhere in cold storage."

"Yeah. Don't really care, to be honest." He looks over at her and raises his arm, a question in his eyes. Rose smiles and slides over to sit against him. His arm comes down around her shoulders.

"I'm not afraid of you," she says quietly as she turns the television back on. "You're still my Doctor. You couldn't do anything that would change that."

"No?"

"No," she says firmly. "I love you. Always have, always will. Do you have any idea how many women would love a man to kill for them?" She pauses and frowns thoughtfully. "That didn't come out quite right."

He laughs. "Never mind. Thank you."

"Look. Sci-fi movie. Do we dare?"

"Only if we have popcorn," he says, and jumps up to make some.

He comes back with popcorn and a packet of crisps that he smuggled into the shopping cart the other night at the grocery store. Rose snuggles back against him and prepares to endure his scathing comments on the movie.

Fifteen minutes in, he hasn't said a word. Rose checks to make sure he's still awake. He's watching the screen in rapt concentration, forgetting even to eat the popcorn. Ignoring the movie for a moment, Rose carefully traces the scratches below the bandage on his face. His wounds bother her far more than her own.

As if in response, he puts his arm around her, careful to avoid touching her injured arm. She leans her head against him and returns her attention to the screen. His fingers tangle idly in her hair.

"You know, this isn't half bad," he says after another little while. "They've really captured the independent spirit of the thirty-fourth-century Venusians."

"Seriously?"

"Oh, absolutely."

"You're mad."

"Am not. Trust me, the screenwriters are more correct than they'll ever know."

Rose shakes her head. "If you say so."

"New world," he says out of the blue. "New Rose, new new me. What do you think so far?"

"So far I like it."

"This is what humans do, isn't it? Come home from work, watch tv, eat dinner."

"The usual way of things," she agrees.

"Cab ride at 2 am," he says softly. "Never thought I'd have that kind of life. Now I do."

"Where are you planning to go at 2 am?"

"You know what I mean." He hugs her to his side. "You sure you're okay?" he asks again.

"Yes!"

"Just making sure. Being human, it's hard, isn't it? Threat of dying all around, this fragile body just waiting to be injured. How do you stand it?"

"You're just a bundle of laughs lately, aren't you?" Rose pushes away from him, annoyed.

He pulls her back down to his side. "I'll bet you a fish and chips dinner that this movie ends with the Venusian senate declaring war on Earth."

"You're mad," she tells him again. "And we're not going anywhere today! I can't walk and we're both wrapped up like mummies."

"We'll do takeaway."

"Okay."

The Venusian senate declares war on Earth and wins. The Doctor heads out for takeaway and they eat sitting on the couch, spilling chips and salt all over the floor and not caring.

When it's time for bed he carefully helps her change the bandages covering her wounds. They're starting to heal but are still pretty raw. She doesn't complain, not even when he applies the ointment she was sent home from the hospital with.

He's Time Lord enough that his own wounds are starting to close over. Rose insists on swiping them with her ointment anyway. She gently kisses the new bandage she smoothes onto his face.

After she falls asleep he takes the bandage off and goes outside for a walk. The streetlights are on and block out the stars, but he searches the sky anyway.

No answer from these stars, no comfort or response. They're still the wrong ones. Maybe he's still the wrong Doctor.

No. Rose's words come back to him. Wrong or right, he is hers now. The thought eases the pain in his chest. Turning his back on the stars he can't see and doesn't know, he walks back home.

Back to Rose.


	22. Chapter 21

Rose has been home for two days before she's allowed to go back to work. She's quite glad to go back. Jackie has insisted on staying with her, and a day with Jackie and Tony in the flat can get quite long.

The Doctor was given time off as well, but he ran back to work the moment he realized Jackie was determined to stay with Rose whether he was there or not.

The morning she's due to go back she has a change of heart. It's much nicer to wrap up in bed than to get up with the alarm. The Doctor has other ideas.

"Ready?" he chirps at her. Rose thinks about going back to sleep.

"Rooose," he wheedles. "I know you're awake." He presses up against her in the bed, wrapping himself around her.

This is the closest he's gotten to her in their bed since the alien attack. Rose turns around in his arms.

"Maybe I am awake. What do I get?" She smiles at him hopefully.

He hands her a doughnut. "Breakfast in bed."

She drops the doughnut onto the floor. He looks horrified.

"Never mind the doughnut," she tells him. "You do realize you haven't touched me since I came home?"

"I touch you all the time," he protests.

"You help me up and down stairs and off the furniture. You haven't touched me properly."

"I kissed you just last night."

"You know perfectly well what I mean!"

No snappy comeback this time, just a long, steady look. "I don't want to hurt you," he says quietly.

"You won't hurt me."

"Rose! Look at yourself!" He gestures to the bandages on her arm and across her upper chest. "You're cut up and I don't want to hurt you."

"You're hurting me more by acting like you can't bear to be close to me."

"Can't bear- It's killing me not to touch you!"

"Then touch me!" Rose sits up in the bed. "I won't break, I won't fall apart."

He swallows hard. "If I hurt you, Rose..."

"You will never hurt me," she says with all the certainty she feels.

He manages to smile and slides in close to her. "Thank you."

Rose closes her eyes as he gently kisses her mouth. "What for?"

"For being Rose."

She kisses him back, much harder, and he finally gets the message. Rose falls back onto the bed with him and tangles her fingers in his hair.

"Should we get up now?" she asks. "I don't want to get hurt."

He kisses away her laughter. "Not just yet."

* * *

They take the train in to Torchwood. The Doctor drove Rose's car in the day before, worked late and got a ride home with Simon, forgetting the car entirely.

"I haven't owned a car in a long time," he'd explained to Rose. "I'll try not to forget again."

The train has no seats so they stand. The Doctor's not too happy about that, even though Rose keeps assuring him that her knee is fine. He keeps one hand on her waist as she stands in front of him, just in case she should collapse to the floor.

Rose humors him. She rather likes the feel of his arm around her.

When they exit the train he gets out first, then holds his hands out to her. Rose would be annoyed, but her knee is still the faintest bit sore. She allows him to help her down and continues to hold his hand on the walk to work.

"Maybe we should have taken a cab," she says, stopping to rest her poor knee.

He's watching her with narrowed eyes. "I thought the doctor said you were fine yesterday."

"I may have...not told him I still had a tiny bit of trouble."

"Damn it, Rose-"

"I wanted to come to work! Another day with Mum and Tony and I would have gone bonkers."

He shakes his head as they set out again. "Should I take you home?"

"I'm fine."

"We can get a cab back. Or hop a zeppelin." He glances up at the sky, where he's still getting used to the sight of so many crafts hovering above.

The morning sunlight hits his face, highlighting those freckles that Rose loves to kiss. The wounds on his cheek have healed faster than her own, although they still look raw. He won't wear a bandage, despite threats of infection from the Torchwood physician.

He looks tired, and Rose knows he's not been sleeping well, going to bed after she's asleep and getting up before she's awake.

"Are you okay?" she asks.

"Rose," he says, insulted.

"Are you?" she persists.

"Yes. I'm okay. Come on." He starts walking again, only to stop when he realizes she's not following. He retraces his steps back to her, takes her hand and tugs her along.

"I worry about you is all," she says.

"No reason to," he tells her.

She's not sure she believes him, but she lets the subject drop.

He's not sure he believes himself, and doesn't say anything else.

* * *

The Doctor delivers her to her office and watches her sit at her desk. Simon is the only one there, and he welcomes them both enthusiastically.

"Just saw Ian," he reports. "Should be home in a day or so."

"Is Riley coming in?" Rose asks, sifting through her emails.

"Maybe later."

"Right, you're okay for now. I'll be back in a bit," the Doctor tells Rose.

She smiles. "Have fun. Don't blow anything up." She knows he hasn't been up to his lab very much in the past few days, and he's anxious to work on his sonic screwdriver.

"Big changes afoot," Simon says when they're alone.

Rose turns to look at him. "Sorry?"

"Bennett was summoned up to your dad's office first thing this morning."

"So?"

"So, I think something is going on."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Something."

"You're a font of information, Simon."

"Say what you will, but you've been gone, and Dr. Smith's not been saying much. There's been talk of shaking things up since we ran into that thing."

"What - the alien? Are we in trouble?" The last thing Rose would look forward to is a probe of Torchwood practices.

"No, that was pretty cut-and-dried. They have the transmissions from our headsets, and all the CCTV footage. We all did exactly what we had to do. Smith included."

"So then what's the problem?"

"I don't know. I didn't say there's a problem, just that some changes are coming."

"You are so annoying." Rose's mobile phone rings then, distracting her.

"Come on up," Pete's voice says. "Need to see you for a minute. Bring Simon with you."

Upstairs in Pete's outer office, they sit and wait. His secretary doesn't show any sign of knowing what's going on.

"I wouldn't have thought Mr. Tyler to be the type for a power play," Simon says in a low voice. "Make us wait, show us he's in control."

"Don't be stupid. We already know he's in control."

After a long ten-minute wait, Pete buzzes his secretary and she sends them inside.

"Sit down," Pete invites, and they do. He glances at Rose to make sure she's doing all right, but that's the only indication that she's anything other than an employee right now.

"We've been looking over the structure of some of our teams," Pete says. "I'm still waiting for the rest of you to show up."

"Ian's in hospital," Rose reminds him. "And Riley is still at home."

"I'm not counting them today."

Jake arrives then, knocking on the door and walking on. "Sorry. Had to finish something up."

Everyone looks expectantly at Pete. He looks at his watch. Finally he buzzes his secretary.

"Helen?"

"Just tried again, Mr. Tyler."

He sighs and looks at Rose. She can't help but shift uncomfortably. What's she done, for him to look at her like whatever's happening is her fault?

After another long wait, the Doctor swings into the room.

"Sorry, Pete, were you looking for me?" He sees the others gathered in the room and comes to a halt, taken by surprise.

"Yes, I was. Be sure to replace your headset as soon as you leave here. Is your phone not working?"

The Doctor looks perplexed. "Should I be checking it? It hasn't rung."

"Do you have it?" Rose can't help asking.

He pulls it out of his shirt pocket and holds it up. Then he glances at the screen. "Oh. Seems I missed a few calls. Sorry." He says this last bit to Pete. "I was in the vaults. Must not get a good signal down there."

"No, they're designed not to let any signals in or out there." Pete dismisses the topic. "Right. We're reorganizing some of our field teams. You will no longer be reporting to Bennett." He pauses, but no one says anything. Satisfied, he continues. "Bennett will be shifted over to one of the other teams. Jake has agreed to go back in the field again."

"That's a step down for you," Simon observes.

Jake shrugs. "Pay stayed the same."

"We're moving some field operatives around," Pete continues. "Simon, you're a new team leader, effectively immediately. Riley and Ian will report to you. Jake, I'm putting you with Rose and the Doctor. This week has shown us that we need all the skilled personnel we have out there when we're dealing with actual aliens, not just their artifacts."

"So we're gaining Jake as a supervisor?" Rose asks. She's not sure this makes much sense to her and says so.

"I rather thought it'd be obvious," Pete says dryly. "The best person for team leader is the one who has the most experience. That was you, up to a few weeks ago."

His words sink in, and all heads turn to the Doctor, who's been leaning against a wall and wondering why he was needed at all for this meeting.

He straightens up rather quickly. "I'm sorry, what?"

"President Jones would prefer you be in an office here, overseeing things at a higher level," Pete tells him. "I convinced her, and several others, that you're the best man to be out in the field to deal with aliens."

The Doctor is bewildered. "But I have a lab! There's a vault full of artifacts I can start identifying and using. Er, helping Torchwood use. Develop uses for." He looks guilty at this last bit. Rose hides a smile. His motives are purely selfish.

"You'll still be of use to us there, as well," Pete assures him. "But we need you out in the field, Doctor. We saw that the other day. I'd be planning a few posthumous award ceremonies if not for you."

"Yes. Well."

"It's brilliant, Dad," Rose says. "I mean, Pete. He's the perfect man for the job."

"Simon? Are you all right with this assignment?"

"Yes, Mr. Tyler. Thank you. I'm on board."

"Good. We're also moving your office out of the basement. You'll be on the same floor with the other field teams. Time you lot came out of hiding. That brings the total up to five teams," Pete says to Jake. "I think that's enough."

"It's a good number," Jake agrees. "If we need too many more we may as well give up to the aliens."

Simon leaves to start packing up their office equipment for the move.

Jake stays behind and grins at Rose.

"Bet you didn't think we'd be working together again."

"No, but I'm thrilled to have you back," she says honestly.

"We were doing well before you came," Pete tells the Doctor. "But now that you're here, we're going to utilize you. It would have happened eventually."

The Doctor nods. "Of course. Less lab time, more field work." He glances at Rose. "I've done that a time or two."

She can't help grinning. "This is brilliant. It'll be so much fun!"

Jake shakes his head. "If the stories you and Mickey used to tell are even partly true-"

"Oi! They were all true," Rose says.

"Well, then." Jake grins at them both. "Just like old times, eh?" He glances at Pete, who shakes his head. Cybermen, Daleks, Cybermen again. He's in no hurry to repeat old times.

"I've another meeting," Pete says. "We'll see you later, Rose." He heads out of his office, followed by Jake.

"Bye, Dad."

The Doctor gives Rose a hand out of her chair. "Want to come to the vaults with me? Quite a few alien toys waiting to be identified."

She grins up at him again. Really, she hasn't smiled so much or been this happy in years. "Is that so?"

"You can give me a hand. As long as you don't try to take advantage. It's pretty dark and gloomy down there."

She pretends to consider. "Yes to helping, maybe to taking advantage."

"If 'maybe' changes to 'yes', let me know."

"You'll be the first who does."

* * *

Life continues, goes on like always. A week of desk work at Torchwood, until Rose is cleared for the field again. Tracking down aliens. Lunches in the company cafeteria with the Doctor. Sunday dinner with Jackie and Pete. Shopping for groceries and take out for dinner and walks with Tony in the park.

Rose's wounds have healed over. There are faint scars on her chest and the slightest mark on her left arm. She no longer sees the scars when she gets dressed, and no one else seems to notice. The Doctor's face grows grim every time he sees them. Thanks to an expensive skin lotion given to her by Jackie, her face is left perfectly smooth.

She's used the same cream on the Doctor's face, much to his irritation. He's never been vain, and not bleeding to death was good enough for him. His Time Lord genes tend to decrease scarring anyway, he tells her more than once, usually as she's smoothing it on his face and neck. Since Rose does it at bedtime and in the morning, she's usually wearing very little. She suspects he's making a fuss just to fuss, because he's pretty enthusiastic about the part where she sits on his lap to apply the lotion. He's even more enthusiastic about what comes afterwards, once the lotion is set aside and he can help her out of the little that she is wearing.

Lying in bed one morning after one such moment, Rose runs her finger over the faint marks on his neck.

"If you rub that stuff off it won't have a chance to work," he says sleepily.

"It's working fine." Rose yawns and settles in against his shoulder. "It's the weekend tomorrow. What shall we do?"

"Oh, tour the museums, feed the birds, help some poor lost tourists find their way."

"What, seriously?"

He laughs. "No."

"I promised Mum we'd go round for tea."

"We already eat Sunday dinner with your parents," he complains. "Must I have Saturday tea as well?"

"Tony loves it when you come by."

Since Tony has become very attached to him, the Doctor doesn't complain. He's rather fond of the little boy himself, although he doesn't admit as much.

"All right. But just tea."

"Just tea," Rose agrees. She's clearly placating him but he's willing to overlook it.

"And we really need to go shopping," she adds.

"I just picked up some milk and doughnuts."

"Yeah, and if you keep eating doughnuts your teeth will rot out of your head and you'll get incredibly fat."

"I hardly think so. The amount of running around we do? And I'm very careful about brushing and flossing."

"You keep ruining your shirts," Rose continues as if he hadn't spoken. "Tears, stains, burns, it's impossible to repair them."

"So now I have to go shopping again?" There's a definite note of whining in his voice, but he's prepared to do what he has to to get out of shopping.

"Unless you plan to walk around in t-shirts all the time." Rose pauses, waits a beat, and continues as he starts to answer her. "And no, that is not an acceptable option."

He sulks for a moment while she hides her smile against his chest. Really, he is so predictable.

"New clothes," he says suddenly, sitting up and swinging his legs off the bed. Rose is dislodged and falls back on her pillow.

"I completely forgot to tell you! What's wrong with me?" he mutters as he sifts through the pile of clothes on the floor. "Well, I know what's wrong with me, I'm human and I just survived an alien attack and watched the woman I love nearly bleed to death and pass out before me."

Rose is pretty pleased about being called the woman he loves, but she feels obligated to point out, "I did not pass out."

"Please. You were out for an hour. We had to check to make sure you were still breathing. Stay right there."

Pants found and put on, he leaves the bedroom. When he comes back he's carrying a brown jacket.

Rose yawns. "Did you have it cleaned?" His clothes were pretty bloody after the myrkrath incident, and she assumed he'd thrown them away. Hers were discarded at the hospital, and she hasn't given them a thought since.

"No, I bought a new one."

"You went shopping without me?" she asks indignantly. "How could you?"

"You were in the hospital and I needed a coat. But look!" He tries on the coat for Rose to admire. It's a nice brown color, much shorter than the long trench coat he used to flap around the universe in. This one stops somewhere between his hips and his knees.

"Very handsome," she says approvingly.

He looks annoyed. "Look." He's got his hands in his pockets and is holding it away from himself.

"Very handsome," she says again. "Especially without a shirt."

She surprises him into laughing. He sits on the bed next to her and waits.

She finally catches on. "Your coat is brown. Why is the lining blue? Did you get a discount?"

He laughs again and kisses her. "Rose, you're adorable."

"What?"

He's digging around in the coat's inner pocket. To her astonishment, he pulls out his mobile phone, his official Torchwood headset (third one so far - he keeps misplacing his when he should be wearing it), his wallet and security badge, a packet of chocolates, and a DVD called _Terror Beneath the Center of the Earth._

Rose sits up. "Did all that come out of your coat?"

He doesn't answer, and she realizes he's staring at her, eyes glazing over. She rolls her eyes and pulls the sheet up to cover herself. He snaps back to reality with a quick grin.

"Sorry. Yes. All in my coat. I took the lining from my blue jacket and had it sewn into this one."

"You can do that?"

"Apparently. Jackie sent me to Pete's tailor." He pauses and glances at her. "I had to buy a tuxedo before they agreed to do it."

"Really?" She thinks back to the last time she saw him in a tuxedo and gets a pleasant tingle at the memory. Well, pleasant at the thought of him in the tux. The circumstances hadn't been that great, what with Cybermen all over the place in this world, but still.

"He didn't think it was...strange or anything?"

"The fabric is normal," he assures her. "The inside is bigger, but you can't tell that from just sewing it in."

"What happens if the pockets rip or something? How do you repair Time Lord technology?"

He looks a bit daunted at that. "Hopefully they won't rip. Never had a problem before. But I should have the sonic screwdriver up and running soon, and then I can repair anything I need to."

"The sonic screwdriver that's still in bits and pieces in your lab?"

He glares at her. "It is a work in progress. I'll be finishing it up any day."

She tries to contain a smirk and fails.

"I will!"

"Sure."

"Rose Tyler-"

She drops the sheet again, standing up and facing him with her hands on his hips.

He doesn't finish the sentence. She continues to eye him challengingly. Finally he gives in and laughs. Strips off the coat and tumbles her back onto the bed.

They're late for work that morning.


	23. Chapter 22

Rose is putting laundry away. As she folds shirts and matches up socks, she thinks that she didn't appreciate the TARDIS as much as she should have. Cleaning and repairing their clothing, replacing items when needed, those were things she had taken for granted.

Now, as she surveys the damage done to the Doctor's wardrobe after only a few weeks at Torchwood, she's sorry she doesn't have that kind of laundry system. She should really arrange for shirts to be sent to him automatically each month. He's refused to go shopping for replacement clothing, even though she's gone out several times for herself.

Imagining the possibilities of a shirt-of-the-month club, Rose picks up a stack of clothing and walks into the guest room. He sleeps in what is now their bedroom, of course, but her wardrobe isn't large enough for her things and his. He's been treating the guest room as a rather large walk-in closet.

Walking down the hallway, she steps over a pile of magazines and nearly almost trips on a box of cheap paperback novels with pictures of aliens on their covers.

Her flat used to be sparse and empty. Now it overflows with magazines he's taken a liking to - scientific journals (so he can laugh at the theories), cooking (he loves food), and _People_. All over the flat are small items he's brought home from Torchwood to identify and possibly use for himself. Here and there are Tony's small cars. There are photos everywhere now, of the two of them together, of Rose. Many of Rose. He did without her for a long time, he'll say as he snaps another picture, and likes to see her all around him.

Whatever the reason, this place has become home.

Never more so than when he is home with her. He is the reason this place is home now. Rose smiles to herself as she hangs up his shirts. He could certainly do the laundry himself, but if he waits any longer he'll have nothing to wear to work tomorrow. He's at the computer and most likely will forget about laundry until it's too late.

"I have a confession to make," the Doctor says from the doorway.

Rose looks up as the Doctor enters the bedroom. "Yeah?"

He throws himself on the bed, long legs and arms thrown out wide. "I am rubbish at making a new sonic screwdriver."

"I thought it wouldn't be a problem?"

"Well, it wasn't a problem when I'd ask the TARDIS for one and she would make it for me. Wouldn't be a problem if I were _in_ the TARDIS and had access to the right tools and materials. Here, it's a different story."

Rose pulls a sympathetic face and sits down next to him. "I'm sorry."

He turns his head into her lap and wraps his arms around her waist. "I really thought I could do it."

She runs her fingers through his hair, sad that he can't have one small thing from his life before. She starts to tell him she is sorry, that he can still build a new screwdriver.

She has no warning. She's simply flipped to her back in the middle of the bed.

"What -"

He's leaning over her and grinning. "But that's okay, Rose Tyler, because I will get it done. It'll just take some time. Margaret Adams showed me some very intriguing alien bits and pieces today."

As he speaks he's purposefully unbuttoning his shirt - blue again, Rose really needs to expand his wardrobe - and looking very pleased with himself.

"Hang on," she says suspiciously, since he's straddling her hips and she can't move. "Was that all an act just now? Just to get me right here?"

"Of course," he smirks, having removed his t-shirt and moving on to the snap of his jeans. "I'm not a real human, I can certainly construct a sonic screwdriver."

She's really torn between cooperating and not. NOT wins out and she bats his hands away. He catches them back and they have a brief struggle before she knocks him off of her and throws him to the side.

"Don't you dare," she says, breathless and laughing.

"Oh, I dare," he assures her. "Come and see how much I dare."

He lunges, grabs her, and tosses her back to the bed.

She cries out when she hits the mattress. "Oh, my knee!"

"Rose!" His face loses all color as he grabs her. "I'm so sorry, love, let me -"

He's knocked clear off his balance and back against the headboard. "Ow!"

"Ha. Got you." Rose folds her arms and looks quite pleased with herself.

"Taking advantage of near-death injuries is not allowed," he says in annoyance.

"Are you pouting?"

"Of course not," he pouts.

"You are!"

"If I'm pouting it's because I was counting on a great romantic experience and instead have been handed a bucket of cold water."

"You're ridiculous."

"To a human, maybe."

She scoffs. "If you weren't human you wouldn't be here, sunshine, so don't knock it."

He blinks up at her. "What did you call me?"

Instead of answering Rose starts to unbutton her blouse. He loses his train of thought and helps her out of it instead.

"If you could be anywhere in any universe, where would you be right now?" she asks, poised above him.

He brushes her lips with his, his fingers sliding down her back to her waist and hips.

"With you," he says, slowly and clearly so there can be no doubt. "Anywhere, so long as I'm with you."


	24. Chapter 23

Long before the craft breaks atmosphere it's identified on the Torchwood monitors.

"Send for the Doctor."

The Doctor stands in the Control room and studies the information carefully. "You're certain about this?"

"Yes, sir."

"Where can we expect it to touch down?"

"The east side of Hyde Park, if we have to guess. Perhaps an hour from now."

The Doctor nods thoughtfully, still gazing at the screen.

* * *

He is waiting in Hyde Park, perched on a bench, when the Jennet beams down in an energy stream a few meters away.

"Seriously, how much time and energy are you wasting on space travel?" the Doctor asks.

The Jennet growls. "I am not here to overtake this rock, if that's what you're implying. Easy as that would be." He sits on the bench beside the Doctor, booted foot swinging inches above the ground. "Thanks for not making me look for you."

"Deputy Corralin, wasn't it?" the Doctor asks politely.

"It is my name and rank."

"Good to see you again. Really. But at the risk of sounding rude, what are you doing here?"

"The Malandra system remains intact."

"Glad to hear it."

The Jennet is regarding him closely. "Tell me, are you a human? You do not feel like the others."

"I am. Partly, anyway."

"Only part? Part of you is something else? Yet you stay here, on this planet in the midst of nowhere? Peculiar."

"This is where the humans live."

"The only place, luckily for the rest of us. Your solar system is a joke, by the way. One inhabitable planet out of nine?"

"Well, you can't have everything," the Doctor concedes.

"You are not fully human. But you work for Torchwood. Yes, we're aware of Torchwood, more species know of it than you realize. You're either for Torchwood or you're against it. If you're an alien you should be against it."

"Ah, very true, Deputy. Depends on the day, for me. Sometimes the hour. Torchwood once took away what mattered most to me. And then Torchwood gave it back. So..." The Doctor shrugs as if to say, what can you do, really?

The Jennet shakes his head and looks out over the park. "Humans. I will never understand them."

"Yeah, thanks. Listen, before we get to the reason for your visit here today - and I'm dying to hear what that is, by the way - you've been traveling the universe. Can you tell me anything of the Time Lords?"

"'Time Lords'? I am unfamiliar with that phrase."

"It's not a phrase. It's a people. A race of people. Are they anywhere in this universe?"

"That is not a name I recognize."

"What about Gallifrey?"

"Who is Gallifrey?"

The Doctor sighs. "Huh. That's what I thought." He picks up a rock and throws it, perhaps harder than necessary. "Not that they'd be happy to see me. Being half human and all."

"Indeed," the Jennet says politely. "I imagine that would be quite the drawback. Are those your people - these Time Lords?"

"Once. They were once. Not anymore."

"Why are you here? Why do you stay?" The Jennet's curiosity is getting the better of him.

"I've nowhere else to go. My home is gone. Worse than just gone. It never existed. Not here, anyway."

"'Here'? On Earth?"

The Doctor turns his head to study the small alien beside him.

"You ever hear of parallel worlds, Deputy Corralin?"

The Jennet scoffs. "Stories to tell the younglings."

"They're real. There are other universes out there, all lined up parallel to this one."

"Please. Tell me another one."

"It's true! In this universe, the Malandra galaxy remains intact, is about to be resettled by your people. In other universes Malandra is the same, or maybe different, who knows? In the universe where I came from, Malandra is gone."

"That's what you meant when I was here last. Malandra would be destroyed. You knew that because it already happened?"

"It happened there. It hasn't happened here. It won't happen here, because you've had a chance to start over. And apparently you did, because here you are, come to thank me. Or kill me. Let me know which it is, will you?"

"And how do you know all this about parallel worlds?"

"I came from one. Right now, in that other universe, is me. Not a parallel me, not a different me, but _me_. Traveling around, having a grand old time. Well, I say a grand old time, but most likely it's more like moping around feeling incredibly guilty. Hopefully not doing anything stupid."

"You speak nonsense."

"It's nonsense, but it's true." The Doctor sighs and leans back. "Half of me is out there, wanting what I have here. And this half is here, wanting what he has there."

"Why don't you return?"

"I can't. Not a good idea to travel between parallel worlds, by the way. You end up destroying the fabric of the universe. I belong here."

The Jennet regards him for a moment and nods. "Ah. A female."

The Doctor's mouth quirks up. "Yes."

"Always a female," the alien murmurs sadly. "They make us do things we would not normally do. They affect our impulses."

"Oh, you are so right in that! But she's more than just a female. She's brave and smart and loyal and beautiful. She's risked her life for me, and I've died for her. Literally. Died. Just for her. So, yes, it's worth it to stay here."

"Don't you miss your old life?"

"Yeah. But I missed her more, in the end. A man's got to know his limits, Deputy!" The Doctor resettles himself on the bench. "So! What are you doing here on Earth?"

"It's as you said. I came to thank you," and Deputy Corralin says this rather grudgingly. "Not that you're the reason I left my home," he adds hastily. "There were other tasks to attend to. You were on the way, so to speak, and I was able to recall the coordinates."

"All that just to stop in on the chance you'd find me?"

"You insult me. One man, on a planet this size? No difficulty in that."

"What were you planning to thank me for?" the Doctor asks curiously. "You're taking quite a risk, returning here. Lucky it was me who was called out to meet you."

"Our system is recovering. My people have returned and are repairing the damage. We owe you a great debt."

"Don't overthrow any more planets and we'll call it even."

"We will not. We haven't the manpower right now, anyway, too busy fixing our planets. You were once a traveler?" the Jennet asks abruptly.

"Yes. I traveled for a long time."

"You're happy here? Stuck on this planet? Never even breaking the atmosphere?"

The Doctor leans back on his elbows, almost tipping the bench backwards. "I can be happy here. I finally get to do what I never could. I'm having an ordinary life. It's amazing how much fun that can be."

"Living among these creatures?" Deputy Corralin's tone suggests that this is a fate better avoided than met.

"Humans. Yeah. I'm one now myself. Kind of. I like it here." The Doctor tilts his head back to look up at the sky. "Anyway, there are worse places to be, eh, Deputy?"

"I suppose. If you count the Fifth Moon of Beta Nine. I am leaving," the Jennet says abruptly, standing up and giving a formal little bow. "I thank you for not killing me upon my arrival."

The Doctor raises an eyebrow. "That's not our way here."

"So I am learning." The Jennet activates his energy beam and prepares to beam back to his ship. He looks back at the Doctor before disappearing.

"Follow the stars, Time Lord, if you can. Perhaps you'll see me up there."


	25. Epilogue

"And he said take my hand,

Live while you can,

Don't you see all your dreams lie right in the palm of your hand."

- _'Ordinary Boy'_ by Vanessa Carlton

They're walking down the street, hand in hand. It's evening but the lights from the street and from the shops are all glowing brightly. Work is done for the day, Earth saved once more. There will be paperwork waiting for them tomorrow, but Rose doesn't care.

"Shall we get some dinner?" she asks. "I feel like chips."

He grins. "When don't you feel like chips?"

After dinner they walk through the neighborhood. There's a toy store Rose has been meaning to visit, but it's closed for the night by the time they get there. It's later than she thought.

They stand looking at the window for a few minutes, watching a bright red robot walk back and forth.

"How long are you gonna stay with me?" he asks out of the blue, and she turns her head and smiles at him.

"I made my choice a long time ago," she reminds him. "I'm never leaving you."

"You're sure?" he asks her.

Rose nods. He loves her. He can tell her that he loves her. He will die someday, but so will she.

"You're my doctor. I choose you. I will always, always choose you."

"So. You and me. Forever."

"You and me forever," she agrees.

"Here on Earth." He looks around them and then up at the sky.

"Well, yeah."

"No other place you can think of, that you might maybe prefer to Earth?"

Now she just frowns at him.

He smiles, and Rose would almost think it's a shy smile except for the fact that this man is never shy. "There's something I left in my blue suit jacket, when we first came back to this world. Forgot about it in the excitement of being human."

"A banana. A handkerchief. _Robert's Rules of Order_?"

He's digging around his coat pockets right now, the nice brown coat with the odd blue lining in it.

He finds what he's looking for, brings it out and holds it out to her in the palm of his hand. A suitor offering a precious gift.

Rose takes his hand and looks. Her breath catches.

"That's...is that..."

"He gave me a piece of the TARDIS. They're grown, you know. She was the last one, but here's part of her."

Slowly, she raises her eyes to his.

"I'm not sure how long it will take," he continues. "Maybe longer than you and I have. But it's a start. I can try."

"To grow a TARDIS?"

"To grow our TARDIS. You and me, what do you say?"

Rose cups his hand with both of hers. They stand holding the coral as if it's the most precious thing in the world.

She looks up at him, tilts her head and smiles. "There's only one thing I can say. _Fantastic_."


End file.
